The residents of Chitungwiza entered into the year 2016 with hopes of a positive change in terms of social service delivery from the local authority, but the municipality is determined to continue from where it left last year. The standards of service delivery continue to deteriorate amid a focus by the city fathers on widening their revenue collection base at the expense of the suffering residents.
By Marvellous Kumalo,Our Reader
Key service delivery components such as water supply, provision of healthcare and educational amenities, refuse collection and sewer reticulation have been neglected and residents are experiencing the rot in these areas.
The municipality is investing all its energies in a partnership it is operating with Clyna Africa trading as Parkrite on vehicle parking management in the town.
On December 29, 2015, a premature baby died at the municipality’s Town House after its parents who were driving from Seke communal lands to Chitungwiza Central Hospital had their vehicle impounded by the municipality for purportedly driving against a one-way road at Makoni shopping centre in Chitungwiza. The parents of the deceased premature baby tried to explain their case to no avail, resulting in them being delayed for hours at Town House. The municipal police in partnership with Clyna Africa demanded a fine of $50 from the deceased’s parents, which they did not have at that moment. The baby is suspected to have succumbed to bad weather conditions and died at Town House.
Upon realising that the baby had died, the municipality’s security manager, Godwin Mvere, and Clyna Africa’s operations manager, Obrien Rwafa, offered the deceased’s parents $300 for the burial of the innocent baby. The deceased baby was then given an emotional send-off in Epworth, with no one from the municipality in attendance.
On January 4, 2016, the same municipality hiked commuter omnibus rank fees by more than 140%. Each commuter omnibus ranking in Chitungwiza is now expected to pay $100 per year.
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This hike was done arbitrarily without proper consultations with the key stakeholder, the Chitungwiza Commuter Omnibus Operators’ Association. This irked the commuter omnibus operators resulting in them withdrawing their operations. Hordes of commuters from Chitungwiza to Harare were left stranded by this move caused by the local authority These sad events could have been avoided had the municipality been considerate, inclusive and not profit-driven.
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