LEADERS of residents’ associations in major cities and towns across the country have blasted Local Government minister July Moyo for interfering with the day-to-day running of local authorities following the infamous Harare Pomona deal.
BRENNA MATENDERE
Moyo is currently in the eye of a storm for pushing for the Pomona deal that entails giving Netherlands-based company Geogenix BV unfettered control of Pomona dumpsite and income of US$22 000 per day or US$8 million per year.
Despite the deal having been cancelled by Harare councillors, Moyo is adamant it must proceed albeit at the expense of ratepayers.
In April, Moyo, in another case of interference, wrote to all local authorities and instructed them to block newly elected Citizens’ for Coalition Change (CCC) councillors from assuming council portfolio committee leadership positions.
In another development, on 26 April 2022, acting Local Government secretary Lameck Mudyiwa, under Moyo’s instruction, wrote to the City of Harare renouncing the position of acting mayor Enock Mupamombe after he had been elected four days earlier. Mudyiwa also ordered the council to rescind a resolution that reduced the local authority’s delegation to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair from 60 to 6.
The decision to cut the number of delegates had been made in order to save money amounting to US$136 000.
“It has come to my attention that on 22 April 2022, an illegal meeting was convened where an acting mayor was elected. We have observed that this meeting which purportedly elected an acting mayor was not properly convened as there was no declaration of vacancy and no notice by the chamber secretary to convene the meeting, hence it was illegal.
“Therefore, whatever decisions and resolutions made during that meeting are null and void,” wrote Mudyiwa.
The letter was addressed to acting Harare town clerk Phakamile Mabhena Moyo.
Concerned by the developments, the residents’ leaders in towns and cities across the country have risen to speak out.
In separate interviews with The NewsHawks, residents’ association leaders said Moyo was over-stepping his mandate.
Chiredzi Residents’ Association leader Josephat Tizirai said Moyo no longer held the moral and professional compass of a minister.
“All his directives to councils smack of corruption. Here in Chiredzi at one time we had to resist minister Moyo’s attempt to force council to buy a transformer for our water plant in Hippo Valley which was sub-standard. He came with Kruger who was purportedly the supplier,” he said.
Anoziva Muguti, the Masvingo United Residents’ Association (Mura) director, said Moyo’s directives had weakened councils and municipalities.
“Councils are now being run by ministerial directives and this is impacting negatively on social service delivery. Local authorities have challenges which differ from one local authority to another, which can only be overcome by officials from within the councils, not the minister,” he said.
Muguti urged Moyo stop the interference.
Mura public relations officer Godfrey Mtimba weighed in, saying “our fear is now that the interference will be spread to all the councils like ours.”
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association (BPRA) secretary for administration Thembelani Dube told The NewsHawks that Moyo’s interference in councils can only be solved by devolution and the separation of powers.
The 2013 constitution, adopted via referendum, provides for devolution, but the government say it does not have money to fulfil the provision.
“Local government tier must be afforded the autonomy it deserves, with Parliament together with the executive playing the oversight role for the smooth governance of the country,” said Dube.
Alice Kuvheya, the Chitungwiza Residents’ Trust (Chitrez) director, pointed out that the earlier directive by Moyo on council portfolio commitees which came before the exposure of the Pomona deal was in itself misdirected.
“Section 96 sub-section 8 of the Urban Councils Act clearly stipulates that a council can review performance of committees and re-assign councillors or elect new leaders. July Moyo quoted a section that talks of the tenure of office of mayors, rural district council chairpersons and councillors, which has nothing to do with committees,” she said.
She said their inside sources revealed that the protection of old councillors aligned to Douglas Mwonzora’s MDC-T was meant to facilitate looting.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers’ Association director Cornelia Selipiwe highlighted that there are water pumps for the city’s Gwenhoro pumping and treatment plant which were supplied to the city after minister Moyo had negotiated a pay-upon-delivery arrangement with a South African company.
“We later learnt that the company belonged to him. Those pumps were not up to standard. We are equally worried with minister Moyo’s micro-management of councils. We say to him hands off our local authority,” he said.
Marvelous Khumalo, the Manyame Residents’ Association leader, who doubles as the Harare Metropolitan Residents Forum (HMREF) chairperson, told The NewsHawks that it was worrying to note that Moyo’s name continues to be associated with questionable directives at local authorities.
“Chapter 14 of the constitution seeks to deal with the level of undue interference in the running of local authorities where power is shifted from the centre to the periphery. The chapter speaks of a need for people at a lower level to determine issues regarding their governance on their own.”
“However, we see a direct violation of the dictates and letter of this provision by minister Moyo. With regards to Pomonagate, we have seen that government is determined to be in control of both decision making and budgeting at local authorities, which is wrong,” he said.
Repeated efforts to get Moyo’s side of the story did not bear fruit.
Precious Shumba, the Harare Residents’ Trust director, said minister Moyo’s actions had become “contrary to the spirit and expectation of the citizens in respect of elected councillors, the duties of local authorities and the mandate of councils in the eyes of the electorate.”
However, he urged opposition councillors to avoid being confrontational with the government.
“It is the ratepayers who will suffer at the end of the day if the government decides to be as confrontational as the opposition councillors who have adopted a contemptuous attitude towards their colleagues who were not recalled and the national government,” said Shumba.
