Councillors cry foul over sabotage
…..demand dismissal of corrupt officials
KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI
Harare councillors have accused council officials of deliberately undermining their authority by delaying implementing resolutions and directives , Business Times can report.
This emerged at a recent full council meeting held in the capital.
It comes at a time when Harare constituencies have been grappling with water shortages, unserviced roads, and inadequate waste management, which have placed residents at high risk for diseases.
Councillors voiced their displeasure with the current situation in the city and demanded that inept directors in the waste management, environmental, and water sectors be fired.
Kudzai Kadzombe, a councillor for Ward 41, claimed that the directors are impeding the city’s progress.
“They sold the vision of a ‘Sunshine City’ by 2025, but many are corrupt cartels that do not want to see progress,” Kadzombe said.
She added: “Cartels are rampant among the directors, and they are obstructing the council’s progress by awarding tenders to their affiliates.
“Some we fired, but they were brought back by the ministry or courts, which hinders development in the city,” she stated.
Blessing Duma, the Ward 29 councillor and chairman of the council’s Audit Committee, weighed in criticising Acting Director of Harare Water, Engineer Tapiwa Kudyadini.
“Last council meeting, we set a timeline that was not met. The council has resolved the matter, so it appears that either the acting director of water or whoever is responsible failed to fulfill their duties,” Duma said.
“I propose that we formally document everything we discussed, including timelines. We gave you five days, and then you added another 25. What is the point of keeping a director who fails to treat water as an emergency, especially in an acting capacity?” he added.
Similar views were expressed by Ward 16 councillor Denford Ngadziore, who referred to officials’ inactivity as sabotage.
“We can’t keep delaying processes in the council because of acting directors who are incompetent,” he said.
