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Full residents’ council meeting update
Harare Residents' Trust (HRT)
June 27, 2013

Waterfalls, Harare: The Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) held its fifth Full Residents’ Council on Friday 21 June 2013, demonstrating once again that the residents’ movement has continued to build its capacity to create a platform for residents’ leadership to conduct its business on behalf of residents. The Full RC brings together all the HRT residents’ committees in Harare suburbs whose chief responsibility is monitoring community service delivery and the performance of elected representatives and service providers. This is in line with one of the HRT objectives of “monitoring and auditing the performance of service providers for quality service provision”. The Full RC is an important structure of the HRT which meets once or twice annually to seriously debate on community service delivery issues, make recommendations and resolutions on how to deal with issues affecting communities. The HRT has exhibited its grassroots approach in confronting the problems that Harare communities face in their interaction with community service providers and local government leaders. The major issues of presentations and discussions with proposals, recommendations and resolutions are explored in this update.

Participants to the Full RC - This year’s Full RC was attended by 30 of the 36 suburban structures with three representatives from each suburb. Among the participants were members of the state security Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI) and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), who indicated that they came from Waterfalls Police Station.

RC Executive Chairperson Presentation: The RC Chairperson (Tafara), represented by Reverend Onismo Mushonga raised the following issues:

Establishing of new committees - The Residents Council Executive came into office in May 2011 and there were 15 suburban structures. During the same year, three additional structures were set up. The year 2012 started with 18 structures and they increased to 36 structures by the end of the year.

Citizen Action - On the 6th of November 2012, over 200 residents across Harare converged at Town House demonstrating against huge debts that accumulated from February 2009 to December 2010 which is now yielding positive results. The City of Harare is awarding 30% discount on arrears to ratepayers and other debtors who settle their charges plus the outstanding arrears within six months from the 1 July 2013 up to 31 December 2013. The HRT held seven community forums which were used as engagement platforms between service providers and the residents.

Community service delivery - The state of public service delivery is yet to improve though we have witnessed significant positive changes in terms of raw sewage flowing in Glen Norah, Tafara and Highfield. However, on a sad note raw sewage is still flowing in Chitungwiza. Water has become a national problem. Residential suburbs on high ground have gone for months if not years without water running in their homes. They are still being charged for water consumption. The areas that are most affected are Mabvuku, Kugarika Kushinga, Hatcliffe, Glen Lorne, Borrowdale and other northern suburbs.

Residents Council Report - The RC Treasury Report was given by the HRT Finance and Administration Officer Mr. Happy Mukambachaza. He gave the breakdown of the contributions from the suburban structures in the RC Treasury. It was recommended that the suburban structures agree to come up with strategies on how they can fundraise for the HRT to ensure that the organisation self-sustain.

Director’s Remarks - The HRT Director explained the importance of the new Constitution to national development and his emphasis was on Chapter 4 and Chapter 14 which deal with the Bill of Rights and local government. The HRT, he said, is keen to strengthen residents’ participation in their local communities, by engaging service providers and elected representatives. There is need to understand the systems in place in order to raise pertinent issues that address inequality within communities. The residents have a right to know how their funds are being used by service providers and policymakers, and how to ensure accountability in decision making. Women’s rights are now entrenched in the Constitution, and the right of citizens to demonstrate against underperforming service providers is provided. However, restrictions still exist where state security have to decide who and when an action can be undertaken. Residents should know what the councilors own before they come into council to avoid unclear wealth accumulation by elected councilors when they assume office. The City of Harare sourced loans from BankABC US$30 Million and US$144 million from China, but the details on how these funds were sourced, and at what interest they will be repaid have not been officially disclosed. Yet all the money will be repaid by residents and ratepayers, who are not being involved in these essential processes. The City of Harare allegedly bought seven NAVARAS using ratepayers’ money. The City of Harare top executives are reportedly earning $18 500 a month with the least of the directors allegedly earning around US$10 000. There must be communication between the service providers and residents. The HRT Director said there are some councilors who were suspended by the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development but others went to apologize and they were reinstated without hearings into their matters. Minister Chombo has too much executive authority in the current Urban Councils’ Act (Chapter 29.15), which has to be curtailed in the revised Act in line with the New Constitution of Zimbabwe, which now provides for Local Government. The organisation will be making its submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government to ensure that residents’ issues are addressed in the Urban Councils’ Act. The HRT held clean up campaigns across Harare suburbs as a gesture o motivating communities to take full charge of their own environment. As we go to elections, residents must not elect based on party but on what the individuals stand for because in 2008, we only got to know our councillors months after the election. This time the HRT is more prepared to give its input into this public discussion on who deserves to get into office to represent the residents.

The Residents Council Elections

In a development that pleased the residents, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) conducted the HRT Residents Council elections, in a credible and in the independent manner. The ERC team was led by Mr Jack Zaba and Mr Masimba Nyamanhindi, with the able support of Mr Moses Chikora and Fadzai Muzozviona. The following is the new RC Executive- Tafara (Chairperson), Kuwadzana Extension (Vice Chairperson), Hatfield (Secretary), Glen Norah B (Vice Secretary), Highfield (Treasury) and Mabvuku, Dzivarasekwa 2, Mufakose and St Mary’s Chitungwiza were elected as Committee Members.

Key Issues Raised by Residents’ Leaders - Each suburban structure tabled written reports, highlighting the key issues on service delivery in their areas. Reports from other suburbs were shared among all the participants so that they also appreciate the state of service delivery in other suburbs. Residents’ leaders at the meeting expressed concern with the following issues:

i. Billing system- that the City billing remains chaotic and inconsistent

ii. Water shortages- most eastern and northern suburbs do not receive water from the local authority, instead they depend on community and private boreholes, or shallow wells in the case of high density areas.

iii. Power outages- although much improved, residents still recorded power outages, which were not planned.

iv. Bad road network- all major and residential roads are heavily potholed, increasing vehicle maintenance costs, requiring urgent rehabilitation.

v. Poor health facilities- for example Waterfalls have only one clinic, forcing people to walk long distances to seek basic medical attention.

vi. Education services- extra lessons are happening in the communities, denying the poor their right to education as they cannot afford the extra lessons fees.

vii. Representation by elected Councilors- most of the elected councillors lack passion for community development, and have failed to articulate residents’ concerns in council deliberations. But it must be noted that there are some of the councillors who have done exceptionally well in their respective communities, in terms of community engagement and raising pertinent development issues.

viii. Refuse collection- despite having enough vehicles to ferry garbage from households, there are visible heaps of uncollected garbage in most communities.

ix. Street lights and tower lights- Tower lights and street lights in most areas are dysfunctional, requiring urgent attention.

Suggestions, recommendations and resolutions:

• Only credible council candidates will receive the support of residents, not opportunists in the forthcoming elections. The residents need metal bins since plastic bins are damaged by dogs.
• Residents’ said they have been renting houses from Council for more than 40 years and they have no title deeds.
• Water charges and other rates must be separated.
• There must be communication between service providers and the rate payers.
• Council should correct the billing system, where services are nonexistent, residents should not be billed.
• Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) should provide residents with poles and wires.
• ZESA must repair all naked wires on the roads and cover them.

Visit the Harare Residents' Trust fact sheet

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