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Local government media tracker
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
October 26, 2012

Nor respite for hwindis
Daily News

Operation Nguva Yakwana (time up), a joint crackdown on commuter omnibus operators by Harare City Council and police to force touts out of the city Centre, is here to stay despite resistance. The operation is targeting defective and unlicensed commuter omnibuses, council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi said. Gwindi said more than 2 000-commuter omnibuses had been netted since the launch of the blitz a fortnight ago. The operation has seen defective vehicles being clamped and towed away with owners paying $132 to have their vehicles released. There are also forced to pay a $20 fine to the police. "The exercise, meant to protect the public from touts, is far from being over as the operators are offering resistance in some cases," said Gwindi. "There is a common misunderstanding among members of the public that we are at war with the commuter operators. "All we want is order in the city that has been previously been wrecked by tout inspired violence," he said.

Garbage woes in Glen Norah
Daily News

The city council is letting Glen Norah residents down, we have gone for two weeks without refuse collection and this is posing a health hazard in the suburb. Residents are now dumping refuse everywhere as there is no service delivery in the suburb. This is unhealthy and the suburb which used to be tidy is now an eyesore.

ZESA insensitive to Highfield residents
Daily News

I register my disgust at the way ZESA Holdings is treating residents in Highfield, especially the hundreds of families at Willowvale flats. We go without electricity for days and when ZESA repairs damaged cables, we have electricity for two days and it is gone again- for good. The disruption of power has caused untold suffering in our homes; we are always throwing away meat and vegetables. One day ZESA will settle the matter with us in court as we demand refunds for the rotten food we are always throwing into the bins. Imagine that the headquarters of zesa is just a stone throw from us, yet they ignore us as we labour in darkness.

ZESA clears power debts
Daily News

Power utility, ZESA Holdings cleared its $76 million debt owed to Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB) paving way for improved electricity supply in the country. Since early this year, Zimbabwe has been struggling to service the Mozambique debt due to ZESA's poor billing system and prevailing liquidity challenges in the economy. Energy minister Elton Mangoma said the parastatal had now paid all its debt to Mozambique's HCB as a result of strenuous efforts by all stakeholders in the country. Early this year, ZESA got $40 million from two local platinum-mining companies, Mimosa and Zimplats and the money was credited to their accounts as pre-payment for electricity. The power utility had tried to mobilize the funds through massive disconnections, but the response from domestic and commercial electricity consumers, who owe the company in excess of $550 million, failed to address the matter.

Masunda attacks Chombo, Shamu
NewsDay

Harare mayor Muchadei Masunda attacked Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and his information counterpart Webster Shamu for accusing him of double-dipping in a deal to build over 3 000 housing units in Budiriro. Masunda also accused Housing minister Giles Mutekwi of taking a backseat in the saga involving his ministry. This follows Chombo's claim that Masunda corruptly allocated CABS land to build the Budiriro housing units while John Sisk and Son was reportedly awarded a civil works contract for the multi-million dollar contract. Masunda chairs John Sisk and Son Africa Group, Lafarge Cement and Old Mutual, which owns CABS. "I feel sorry for both ministers for they are blissfully ignorant of what they are talking about with regard to the alleged "double-dipping" on my part in respect of the CABS housing project in Budiriro, Masunda said. "The whole transaction was done above board and on an arm's length basis following a magnanimous decision by Old Mutual to inject $85 million to resuscitate our country's ailing economy. What I can say about their accusations is ˜forgive them they know not what they say and do".

Zim water problems a "National Crisis"
The Zimbabwean

Water shortages, intermittent supply and sewage issues have steadily increased across the country, particularly in high density suburbs. Residents Associations in Zimbabwe's two major cities, Harare and Bulawayo, have called for immediate action from both local and national government to prevent the situation from getting worse. Zibusiso Dube, the information manager for the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, told SW Radio Africa that the water problems are "severe", and there are regular shortages that sometimes last up to a week at a time. He said that calls on local Bulawayo council to improve the situation have fallen on deaf ears, and not even water bowsers are being supplied to ensure residents have access to clean water. These same concerns are still very high in Harare, where the cholera outbreak of 2009 and the typhoid outbreak of this year, hit the hardest. Simbarashe Moyo from the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) told SW Radio that the situation is ˜out of control". "The water systems were constructed 50 years ago. But the population has boomed since then. The problems now are a lack of planning from the local government," Moyo said. He explained that some areas around the capital have not had running water for about a decade, while others are now solely reliant on boreholes for water. He said it is a "failure by government" to not supply this most basic need.

CHRA petitions the Minister of finance on the Harare water issue
The Zimbabwean

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) petitioned the minister of finance to assist Harare City Council's overwhelming water crisis. Some of the contents of the letter read: We, on behalf of Harare residents, would like to bring your attention to the critical water situation in Harare and the need for continued budgetary support to avert needless loss of lives. It is our humble objective; to draw you to the ominous water situation which has been perpetuated by the deteriorating infrastructure which was initially meant to cater for 300 000 people but is now servicing more than 2 million people. Honourable minister, we would like to inform you that the city currently loses around 350 mega litres of treated water each day due to burst water pipes and illegal connections. Currently, the City does not have the technology to monitor water losses and water bursts, which recently have caused typhoid outbreaks in Kuwadzana and Dzivarasekwa with a total of 3 500 recorded cases of typhoid between November 2011 and February 2012. This awakes sad memories of 2008 where we lost 4 037 people to the Cholera pandemic. It is against this background that we plead for your intervention which in our view will curb the loss of innocent lives as we approach the rainy season.

Displaced Epworth residents invited back to rebuild
Zimbabwe Situation

Over 200 families that became homeless last week, after a government owned company demolished their homes, have been invited back, by government, to rebuild their homes. Sunway City, a subsidiary of the government's Industrial Development Company, last week acquired a court order to demolish the homes, on the basis that they were illegal. Residents were not given enough notice to find alternative accommodation. But reports said a decision had been made by government on Tuesday, to turn the industrial area into a residential area in order to accommodate the displaced families. Mfundo Mlilo, coordinator at the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), said many people are being fooled by ZANU PF officials who are not authorized to make land deals in Harare. Mlilo said it is not clear whether government will pay for the Epworth residents to rebuild their homes. But he explained it is "highly unlikely" because many families that were displaced during Operation Murambatsvina in 2005, are still homeless and government has not provided alternatives.

Chombo's team gobble $1M
The Zimbabwe Situation

Probe teams set up by Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo, to investigate councils across the country resulting in unfair dismissals of MDC-T officials have gobbled close to $1 million in the past seven months. Harare City Council was the biggest casualty with seven councillors dismissed, followed by Rusape with five and Banket with two. "We have always opposed the objectivity of the teams set up by Chombo. Over $750, 000 has been taken from cash-strapped councils and the ministry to finance their controversial work," said Deputy Local Government minister, Sessil Zvidzai. " If they had, for instance, bought water chemicals or refurbished aged pumping systems countrywide using that money, would we not be a step further forward? asked Zvidzai.

Harare City sinks into mess
The Standard

Once a city of glamour and glitter, Harare could now arguably be said to be among the dirtiest in sub-Saharan Africa. The once "Sunshine City" has degenerated into a hub for uncollected garbage, flowing raw sewage and congested streets. It is now home to hundreds of street kids and vagabonds. It has become normal for people to walk past heaps of fresh human waste in the Central Business District (CBD). While council has by-laws to regulate the discharge of refuse, the local authority appears to be failing to enforce them. For several years, council has been fighting running battles with vendors and commuter omnibus drivers and rank marshals. Harare City Council Chairperson for the Environmental Management Committee, Stewart Mutizwa, said the council was not to blame because it "inherited the problems". He also pointed a finger at several commissions appointed by the minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Ignatius Chombo, as the culprits behind poor service delivery.

Ex-council manager up for $620 000 fraud
Newsday

Dismissed City of Harare Quarry manager Stuart Murata nearly swindled council of $620 000 after he allegedly presented a fictitious reinstatement letter and demanded a backdated salary payment. Murata was employed by council as a manager in charge of the crusher station, but his employment was terminated following misconduct charges in 2004. In May this year, Murata is said to have written a letter to the council chamber secretary demanding reinstatement, but his application was thrown out, prompting him to appeal against his employer's decision at the High Court. In his court application, Murata allegedly attached a fictitious reinstatement letter dated June 1, 2012 purportedly authored by the city of Harare human resources department, confirming his reinstatement with effect from June 4, 2004. In the fictitious document, Murata claimed he was owed $622 805 by the council for the period August 1, 2004 to May 31, 2012. The letter also claimed that the local authority would pay Murata $50 000 per month plus a month salary from June this year until the salary arrears were cleared.

Blitz nets 800 kombis
NewsDay

A joint blitz by the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Harare City Council which started two weeks ago has netted more than 800 unroadworthy kombis plying city routes. Harare provincial police spokesperson inspector Tadius Chibanda said the operation, code-named Nguva Yakwana (Time is Up), was meant to restore sanity. "We have impounded 882 kombis so far and we are continuing with the operation until there is order in the city," he said.

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