This confidence was premised on the fact that Masunda, a leading lawyer and businessman, had the right credentials to tackle the city’s collapsed sewerage and water reticulation infrastructure.
Residents also thought that Masunda wielded political clout that would help thaw the tension between Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Ignatius Chombo and councillors in the MDC-T dominated council.
But two years down the line, it appears the odds are against the respected mayor.
Most tarred roads are now riddled with life-threatening potholes while others have turned into gravel roads.
Over-grown grass remains uncut, even at major intersections, putting the lives of both motorists and pedestrians at risk.
Most traffic lights do not work.
Collection of refuse is erratic in high-density areas while raw sewage has formed permanent rivulets, where barefoot children “wash” their toys.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Small black “particles” ooze from the taps whenever there is running water.
“In most cases, the water smells,” said 63-year-old Regina Dube of Kambuzuma in Harare. “This water will kill the whole city one day.”
Residents in high-density areas have now turned to water from communal boreholes drilled by non-governmental organisations.
Suburbs of Tafara and Mabvuku have not had running water from the council since Masunda assumed office despite assurances the problems would be attended to.
Residents say Masunda has failed to improve services
Harare Residents Trust (HRT) co-ordinator Precious Shumba said Masunda, a respected academic in both business and political circles, has failed residents.“Service delivery has deteriorated to unimaginable and unacceptable levels,” said Shumba.
HRT claims that productive engagement of the mayor by stakeholders has been limited “since the mayor assumes he knows everything” and is too elitist to tackle problems affecting ordinary residents.
Shumba said council-owned properties such as Mupedzanhamo Market, green market in Mbare, houses and community halls have become private enterprises where city employees make more money than the council itself.
He said Masunda had succumbed to interference from Chombo, where the minister appears to direct operations at Town House.
Shumba’s comments were echoed by Combined Harare Residents Association (Chra) chairperson Simbarashe Moyo, who added that the mayor failed to deal with the land saga involving Chombo and business tycoon Philip Chiyangwa.
The two politicians are accused of acquiring land from council illegally but Chiyangwa is challenging the claims in the courts.
“He has even failed to protect the councillors who were fighting for transparency around the whole issue of the land audit,” Moyo said.
Rome not built in a day: Masunda
While admitting that service delivery could have been better, Masunda said it was too early to judge him considering the fact that he inherited a totally collapsed and dysfunctional city.
“Remember, Rome was not built in one day,” he said. “There is lack of appreciation by a number of stakeholders especially residents, of what it takes to run a metropolitan and this extends to senior guys in the city council.”
The mayor said he was in the process of acquiring equipment to seal potholes and cut grass.
He, however, admitted that council was “a bit off the mark” in addressing the issues.
But CHRA said service delivery had significantly improved although a lot of work still needs to be done.
Moyo claimed that a recent survey by Chra revealed that 80% of the residents had suffered from stomach ailments after drinking tap water.
He said the city got US$17 million from government for water reticulation but 40% of the treated water is lost through leakages.
However, Masunda said the money that was drawn from Multi-donor Trust Fund was used to relay pipes that were leaking.
Commenting on Chiyangwa’s land saga, Masunda said he wanted a panel of retired judges to look into the matter because some of the cou-ncillors, who were complaining, had been compromised after they made prejudicial public statements.
So far, Masunda has managed to revive the Harare-Munich Partnership, which has a potential to bring more investment to Harare from Germany. He has also reduced the once bloated workforce.
