Mutsvangwa lambasts opposition-led councils

KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI

ZANU-PF spokesperson Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa has called on local authorities in Zimbabwe to be more innovative in funding their own road rehabilitation programs, rather than relying solely on the National Treasury.

Speaking on a current affairs show on ZiFM Stereo, Mutsvangwa criticized local councils, particularly those controlled by the opposition, for their alleged inability to attract investment and develop their own distinct road networks.

“Look, when people come to invest in a country, they don’t necessarily look at the president. Investment is done in a local authority. You want to put your factory in a specific location within a particular ward,” Mutsvangwa said.

The ZANU-PF spokesperson argued that local mayors and councillors should be responsible for attracting businesses and capital to their respective areas, rather than solely relying on funding from the central government.

“If the people who are running the cities cannot learn from what is being done in Mvurwi or in Marondera by the tobacco farmers, it is because they are not, they shouldn’t be in those jobs in the first instance,” Mutsvangwa said.

Mutsvangwa’s comments come amid a major infrastructure development program in Harare, which saw the rehabilitation of several major roads, including the Mazoe road ,  Harare Drive, ahead of the recent SADC Summit.

The spokesperson praised the government’s efforts to clean up the capital city and present a favorable image to visiting delegates.

“The president and his government, they intervened, they cleaned up Harare and look now, Harare is as good as can be and this is not going to be the end,” Mutsvangwa said.

However, some opposition mayors have argued that they have faced challenges in securing resources from the central government, including the allocation of funds from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).

Mutsvangwa dismissed these claims, stating that the responsibility of attracting investment and developing infrastructure lies squarely with the local authorities.

“These mayors who we are talking about, they simply don’t know their job. They don’t know, they think that money comes from the central government. No, money comes from the hard work of their own populations who are working in businesses where the mayors and councillors have attracted businessmen to those places,” he said.

The ZANU-PF spokesperson has expressed his willingness to engage in a follow-up discussion with representatives from the opposition-led local authorities to address the issues surrounding infrastructure development and funding.