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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsRecalls Cripple Mutare Council, Committees Hang By Thread

Recalls Cripple Mutare Council, Committees Hang By Thread

MUTARE– City fathers are reportedly struggling to drive council business forward following the massive recall of elected councilors by an opposition MDC-T faction which has decimated numbers in most committees.

Insiders say council committees are now skeletal barely meeting a quorum of a minimum of three councilors required for the five member committees.

“It’s a sorry situation at council because as things stand committees are now skeletal meeting only the bare minimum. Councilors are not really debating they are now merely following management guidance.

“Moreover the remains twelve are also split into two groups six belong to Chamisa, five have now crossed and the other is an independent. They are only sabotaging each other,” said an inside source.

Mutare mayor, councilor Blessing Tandi, who allegedly crossed over to the MDC T- Douglas Mwonzora camp- recently confirmed this development at Civic Centre saying council business was now compromised.

Addressing a Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) dialogue on service delivery, recently Tandi declined to comment on pointed questions whether he had crossed the floor to join the Mwonzora led MDC T.

Tandi said council was virtually now a house full of committee chairs as councillors sit in several committees at a times, stiffing the level of debate and deliberations.

“It kills the spirit of representative democracy. The burden of work limits the quality of input by councillors in deliberations within the committees to come up with solutions for service delivery challenges.

“We are just appointing someone to chair a committee for the sake of number it limits the quality of debates on the issues of service delivery,” he said.

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The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the chair of the Audit committee (Statutory Committee) are ineligible to chair another committee, leaving only 9 councilors to chair the remaining 6 committees and also be members of the same.

“We have serious voids that have been created. As a local authority the services that we provide to our people are about life and death.

“It has great negative impact in council business. It’s an issue of a bigger magnitude different from the role of parliament because we need to hold regular meetings to make an assessment of service provision,” he said.

Emirates

Nyasha Mapuvire, a recalled councilor, said local residents which voted for local representatives in to council are the ones bearing the brunt of the political persecutions of their preferred candidates.

He said the recalls result in poor service delivery, breakdown in communication between residents and council as well as limited participation of affected Wards in council consultative processes.

“Development is stalling in our ward, we appeal that council keeps making regular visits so that people know how to send your grievances through your office, as we cannot officially help or people.

“We are still assisting when people do approach us but it is different from having an official mandate whenever a Ward has no councilor it is like a house that has lost the father,” he said.

“Remember when we were chosen were several candidates and the people that chose us are the ones that suffer the most from such decisions to recall.”

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United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust (UMRRT), programs director Edson Dube said accusations levelled against Mayor Thandi that he crossed the floor leaves him hanging, with potential to derail municipality programs.

Dube said this called for a rethink of local representation that is not anchored on political lines, as the current environment creates moral dilemma for councilors, where political interests will override their dedication to duty and compromise service delivery.

“We have a serious leadership gap since the passing of TC and recall no one is willing to take charge, most councilors are scared to take a stand. We meet them in public they sing a different tune, no one is really offering leadership.

“Reports that Mayor that has crossed the floor that is now being dumped by his party means that he can be sabotaged by either groups. We have a Mayor who doesn’t have a political backing he cannot approach MDC Khupe or Chamisa he is floating in midair.

“We need councilors to close rank, councilors should come together in the best interests of the city. It is an opportunity to start engaging the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to back your plans if they are in the best interest of the residents.

“There should be serious consideration that do we need to have political parties or should we vote for independent candidates that cannot be recalled,” he said.

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