“Last year, some people in my ward were soaked by rain and I went to his (Chivavaya’s) office and the Town Clerk (Tendai Mahachi) told him to address their plight but to date, he has done nothing,” Njiri said.
“This has caused me problems because my superiors are now asking why I am taking too long to deliver what the people voted me for.”
Mbare’s councillor Friday Muleya expressed concern that since last year’s launch of a housing project under a US$5 million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fund, residents in his area continued to wait in vain.
“We have been waiting for a report from that department since the groundbreaking ceremony in September last year,” Muleya said.
“The Mayor (Muchadeyi Masunda) is doing his best in securing funding for various projects but everything gets blocked in these departments.”
He said he aimed at providing between 500 and 1 000 new houses per year. “But it’s been two years now since we came into office and we have not provided even a single house because some people are sleeping on the job while others are on a mission to sabotage us.”
Muleya also complained about the department’s failure to come up with a Mupedzanhamo Phase 2 project to decongest Mbare and create more employment.In an interview after the meeting, Kuwadzana councillor Thomas Muzuva also complained at the slow pace at which co-operatives were being allocated land. “I have 10 cooperatives I am working with in Kuwadzana but only one which was formed in 2004 finally got allocated some land in February,” he said. “Council recommends that a cooperative must be given land once each member’s total contribution gets to US$800 but a lot of cooperatives which have exceeded this figure continue to be frustrated until some members drop out.”
Deputy director James Chiyangwa however told the meeting that the department had “assisted many who approach it”.Efforts to get comments from Masunda and Chivavaya were fruitless last week.
