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Interview with the Deputy Mayor of Harare, Councilor Thomas Musarurwa Muzuva
Lenard Kamwendo, Kubatana.net
October 07, 2013

Please tell us a bit about yourself. What makes you tick?
I was born in 1972 in Chikomba district. I did my primary education at Masvaure Primary School and then moved to Rambanapasi Primary School in Hwedza. I competed my secondary education at Mt St Mary’s Mission in 1992. I then enrolled for an auto-electric course at Speciss College. Since I couldn’t find a job I changed trade and embarked on printing. I opened my own printing and origination company called Smooth Edge Designs. The hardships of life saw me joining politics in 2000. I joined the Movement for Democratic Change in the same year and I contested for council elections, which I lost during primaries. I contested again in 2008 and I won. I have been a councilor for the City of Harare the past five years and during my time I served on the Environment Committee for two years and then I moved to the Business Committee as the Chairman.

What is your vision for the City of Harare?
Council owns various properties across the city but people are not paying rentals. We want to increase revenue collection from all rented council properties and channel it to improve service delivery in the City of Harare.

How do you plan on improving service delivery in the city? Of course we should put on record that it is unacceptable that residents can’t get a reliable, regular supply of water from the municipality.
Let me start by saying in terms of health delivery, as council we compliment government efforts and it is the duty of the government to offer health services to the people of Zimbabwe. At the moment we are not getting government health grants and we have to rely on ratepayer’s money to pay for all our health personnel in council’s clinics and hospitals. We also need education grants from government to maintain and manage about 40 schools in Harare.

With regard to the Department Of Waste Management, council recently purchased about 50 trucks to boost refuse collection efforts in the city however sometimes we face fuel shortages. The installation of bins and the introduction of skip trucks at shopping centers are still ongoing.

We used to get vehicle license fees as Council for the repair and maintenance of roads, traffic and streets lights but since the Zimbabwe National Road Administration took over the responsibility in 2009 we are no longer getting enough of an allocation to maintain these services. We are now resorting to utilizing the little we get from ratepayers.

Often, the general public is told that there is no money for the improvement and the resuscitation of local services. So, as the former chairman of the Business Committee for the City of Harare how do you plan on raising revenue needed for the improvement of service delivery?
I think council can improve its revenue base through its properties and the formation of companies, which are 100 percent owned by the City of Harare. This will help in terms of property management and revenue collection. For example companies like EasiPark, City Parking and the building of the Harare/Mabvazuva chalets are some of the initiatives which council will use to generate revenue.

Do you believe the informal sector can contribute to the revenue collection for the city? And if so how do you plan on dealing with people who are doing business on the streets of Harare?
You have to understand that after the closure of industries the only market left is now in the city center. We want to build several home industries in various locations outside Harare CBD so that we can persuade people to move back to these areas.

As Deputy Mayor, there are a number of issues that you need to address. For example: litter, lack of control of informal traders, no regulation of the establishment of businesses outside of the CBD, dangerous roads due to potholes, lack of lighting and non-working traffic lights, a heavily congested CBD. How do you plan on addressing them and putting the sunshine back into Zimbabwe’s capital city?
We are planning on decongesting the city through the building of business complexes outside Harare CBD. However some of these people doing business on the streets of Harare are there because they have strong backing from their political masters and because of this we have failed to remove them. For example our 4th Street parking space has been turned into a flea market without council permission. We are trying to engage ZINARA in terms of increasing our allocation so that we improve our roads and lighting.

It would appear that key stakeholders that you need to engage and develop a relationship with is the Zimbabwe Republic Police force and municipal police. For example, the enforcement of fines for littering, illegal burning and dumping to mention just a few issues. The ZRP appears to accommodate bad practice to earn income through bribes. How would you address this?
We have a good relationship with the ZRP. But as City of Harare we don’t have power to the control people on the streets to maintain the law. The problem with City of Harare as compared to the whole of Southern Africa region is, for example, when you go to South Africa as you enter the CBD the metro police are effective because they have the power to arrest. Here power rests with the government. If the government believes we are a local authority as City of Harare the first thing they should do is to give municipal police the power to arrest and to create municipal courts.

People are suggesting that your efforts will be thwarted by a Zanu PF dominated government that does not want the MDC to succeed in any sphere. Can you comment on this please?
With service delivery there is no party, which does not want good service delivery in terms of good roads, water etc. We share a common vision as parties in the council. Council is run based on council resolutions, which are set by councilors in the council chambers and directives from the Ministry of Local Government.

In general politicians and city officials keep the public at arms length. How do you plan on engaging the public in your plans? And can you please give us the telephone number of your office and PA, your email address and any other social media that you use. Will you be an official that welcomes input, or will you sidestep it?
As council we work with various civic organizations as our key stakeholders in trying to engage with the public. We are also planning on having opinion/suggestion boxes in various wards to get feedback from people. Residents should also feel free get in touch with me through my PA, whose email address is: shekede@hararecity.co.zw

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