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Local government media tracker - Week ending 03 December 2012
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
December 05, 2012

Zimbabwe: City to carry audit on Mbare Hostels
AllAfrica.com

Harare City Council is carrying an audit of the Mbare hostels to establish the lease-holders of the close to 5 500 apartments. More than 50 000 people reside in the dilapidated structures that are ranked as part of Harare's 37 slum settlements. The apartments were originally built for migrant bachelor workers. Third parties now stay in the apartments and pay rentals to individuals or their families who were located in the apartments before independence or after independence. According to the latest full council minutes, the city resolved to embark on an exercise to establish registered tenants. The city reiterated its call to have the hostels renovated. Previous efforts to spruce up the hostel have been met with resistance by individuals who do not stay in the apartments. Town Clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi gave an update on the progress in enforcing the payment of bills by the residents. Dr Mahachi said the residents agreed to make individual arrangements to settle their outstanding bills. He said council had temporarily shelved plans to install pre-paid water meters for the apartments.

Harare City Council to charge fees for underground fibre
CET News

Zimbabwe's mobile operators are expected to pay levies to Harare City Council, which has imposed a charge on all telecommunication companies that have laid fibre optic cables underground. The council resolved at a recent full council meeting that the telecommunication firms would pay a rental of USD0.10 per square metre, Biztech reported. The companies would also have to sign lease agreements with the council. It is said the rentals are payable from the date of issuance of the trenching permits. The firms are also charged rental fees for the erection of cellular infrastructure on tower lights.

Chombo doles out stands to ZANU PF
NewsDay

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo ordered Mutare City Council to allocate 2 000 serviced residential stands to a private land developer believed to be linked to Zanu PF Women's League boss Oppah Muchinguri. The land developer operates a company known as NATAO Enterprises (PVT) Ltd. Sources in the MDC-T dominated local authority said the project was part of ZANU PF's campaign strategy. According to a recent council report compiled by Town Clerk Obert Muzawazi, the local authority has already started consultations in a bid to fulfil Chombo's directive. "This is state land and as a minister, I have the power to recommend this co-operative. These councillors don't know what they are talking about. Allocations are not based on possession of party cards. There is nothing wrong with me giving ZANU PF members stands. The MDC councillors are also entitled to do that to their members if they so wish," said Chombo

Zimbabwe: Govt admits failure to supply clean water
AllAfrica.com

Government has admitted failing to supply adequate and clean water to Harare residents prompting it to regularise the operations of bulk water companies selling water to residents. Water Resources Development and Management Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo said companies selling water to residents were "filling a gap" and needed Government support. He said this while addressing journalists in Harare on ground water management and bulk water delivery in the city. This came after residents demonstrated against the sale of water by the companies. Some of the companies are charging US$60 for a 5 000 litre delivery of water. "We cannot throw these companies away because they are fulfilling a need," he said. "Government through its agent, the City of Harare, is failing to provide the city with sufficient clean water. I cannot stop water companies because if I do so those buying the water will come and demand the water from me and what will I give them?"

Probe team gobbles $100 000
Zimbabwe Situation

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo instructed Harare City Council to fork out $100 000 as payment for two probe teams he set up in a space of four months. Harare, already battling to contend a Typhoid outbreak in Glen View, will have to pay the Ellen Chivaviro- led investigating team and that of Madzudzo Pawadyira from its dry coffers. Both teams were set up by Chombo following a delivery of sodium cyanide to Harare Water Department by a local chemical distribution company. According to Masunda, Pawadyira received not less than $10 000 on top of his monthly salary from government while other members of the team pocketed not less than $8 000 each. The money paid to these teams can at least buy a Borehole water pump to help residents access water, or it can be used to renovate dilapidated public toilets which have now become an eyesore. Some of the members on the second team have previously featured in other investigating teams set up by Chombo to other local authorities.

Government should support local authorities
DailyNews

Central Government is responsible for problems currently being faced by local government entities in the country, because of an ineffective fiscal transfer framework, a cabinet minister said. Addressing delegates at the recently-ended Economic Empowerment Conference in the capital, Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo said there is need for central government to provide financial support to local authorities. "For local authorities to effectively execute their role, central government needs to come up with an effective fiscal transfer framework for local government and to provide necessary support, without which councils would end up enjoying unfunded mandates," Chombo said. He blamed lack of financial support from central government, caused by the unprecedented economic challenges the country faced in the last decade, for the collapse of municipal services. At the conference, Chombo said his ministry with the United Nations Development Programme, has conceived a local government capacity building and service delivery programme intended to address the pathological institutional incapacities of local authorities across Zimbabwe.

Harare typhoid outbreak alert
Daily News

Authorities in Harare are on high alert after a typhoid outbreak that has claimed four deaths so far and affected over 500 people. The High Glen districts of Glen View and Budiriro-the epicentre of a devastating 2008 cholera outbreak that claimed over 4 000 lives-are once again under siege, according to the city's department of Health Services director Prosper Chonzi. Chonzi said they were concerted efforts from different departments of the city to contain the outbreak. "The city has also embarked on an exercise to rehabilitate boreholes. Although the water has been said to be contaminated by sewerage, we are providing free aqua tablets and urging residents to boil all water regardless of source," he said. Chonzi said the city is working on repairing pumps to make sure residents have water all the time.

Harare council cracking on illegal car sales
NewZimbabwe.com

Harare city council is moving to demolish 150 illegal car sales and billboards after invoking its by-laws. In a published statement, town clerk Tendai Mahachi said the cash-strapped municipality was now cracking down on the illegal entities. "Following notices served on illegal car sales owners and operators in terms of Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, the City of Harare will now be proceeding with the enforcement as provided for in the above cited Act and statutory instrument with immediate effect," read Mahachi's notice in the press. The Ellen-Chivaviro headed probe team claimed that there are 200 car sales in Harare with only 47 of them having lease agreements with council. Of the 47 car sales, only 3 have met standards set out under the Regional Town Planning Act. Chombo gave the local authority up to December 20 to have names of those car sales operating legally known.

High Court blocks Chombo
NewsDay

Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo was left with egg on his face after Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha interdicted him from conducting a disciplinary hearing for suspended Gwanda mayor Lionel De Necker. Three weeks ago Chombo appointed a disciplinary committee to conduct a hearing for De Necker on charges of insubordination after he allegedly refused to implement a ministerial directive to appoint a Zanu PF sympathiser, Priscilla Nkala, as chamber secretary. Chombo then accused De Necker of insubordination. However, De Necker approached the High Court seeking an order stopping the hearing, which he described as illegal.

Harare must create a win-win scenario
The Standard

The decision by Harare City Council to return property seized from residents who defaulted on paying rates shows officials are now listening to people's concerns. Council three weeks ago instituted unprecedented property seizures that mainly targeted the poorest of the poor in a bid to recover debts. The property seizures in Rugare, Kuwadzana, Dzivarasekwa, Mabvuku and Tafara caused much alarm and despondency in the suburbs where residents were now living in fear of the Messenger of Court. These property seizures showed insensitivity on the part of city fathers who failed to show compassion and an appreciation of the economic difficulties pensioners and other unemployed people face. So far there is little incentive for residents to pay for astronomical water and refuse bills when their taps are always dry and bins are not collected. A win-win scenario in which council provides a service that is satisfactory, with Harare residents paying for it, is what is needed. Such an arrangement would go a long way in addressing the challenges faced by the two parties without creating unnecessary animosity between them.

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