|
UNDER-FIRE Harare councillors have accused residents’ associations of using donor funds to decampaign them instead of helping to improve service delivery.
The charges, raised at a full council meeting on Thursday, were a culmination of the war of words between the MDC-T councillors and the associations over service delivery.
Residents’ associations have scaled up criticism of the councillors’ corruption.
Councillor Herbert Gomba of Glen Norah said residents’ associations were wasting donors’ money on newspaper statements, condemning them.
“The money they are using to vilify us in the media can be used to buy such things as compactors and other equipment to benefit the same residents they allege to have at heart,” Gomba said.
“We are reliably informed that one association representative has six vehicles but continues to attack council to get more.”
Councillor Thomas Muzuva of Kambuzuma said representatives of residents’ associations should know that at the end of the day councillors and associations’ officials had a stake in the affairs of the city.
“We are all residents,” Muzuva said. “Let us assist each other in doing some of these things.
“If someone sees that a house they live in is dirty, do they go about maligning others who live in the same house or they take a broom and sweep the house?”
Others said the current council deserved praise, claiming that they have done better than any other council since Ian Smith’s time.
While efforts to get a comment from the Combined Harare Residents’ Association were futile, the Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) dismissed the councillors’ claims saying it was not their duty to manage the city’s affairs.
“Residents are paying too much to local authorities and it is being wasted on buying flashy cars at the expense of service delivery,” HRT board of trustees chair Emilia Chakatsva said.
“There are even areas like Mabvuku which have gone for long periods without water but residents there continue to pay rates and one wonders what that money is being used for if it cannot be channelled towards improving service.
“The councillors cannot ask us to give them money given to us by donors as that is specifically meant for association activities like capacitating residents through training them on leadership and their rights.”
Chakatsva said associations were already doing enough as they conduct periodic clean up campaigns and have also as filled potholes and repaired roads.
Residents’ associations have in the past complained about local authorities’ poor service delivery, high rates and what they have described as skewed priorities.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
