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Parly accuses Manyenyeni of disrespecting lawmakers

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PARLIAMENT has accused Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni of disrespecting lawmakers after he failed to turn up for a Local Government portfolio committee hearing that is investigating a housing scandal in Caledonia.

PARLIAMENT has accused Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni of disrespecting lawmakers after he failed to turn up for a Local Government portfolio committee hearing that is investigating a housing scandal in Caledonia.

by XOLISANI NCUBE

Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni
Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni

Committee chairperson, Irene Zindi, told acting city town clerk, Josephine Ncube, and her delegation that the committee was upset with Manyenyeni for failing to turn up for the meeting or send a representative.

“It is the view and serious concern of the committee that somehow it may be mayor, Ben Manyenyeni, is not taking this committee seriously. Why? Because he did not even send an apology or his deputy. We are only hearing about his failure to attend from you. Kindly pass this message to him that we are not happy at all,” Zindi said.

Manyenyeni, together with council executives, had been summoned to explain Harare’s involvement in the housing crisis bedevilling the Caledonia settlement, where thousands of beneficiaries have been double-allocated stands, resulting in nasty fights.

“We are going to write a letter to the mayor inviting him for the second time; we are going to register our displeasure with him,” Zindi said.

The committee then resolved to abort the hearing, saying it was impossible to give any evidence in the absence of the mayor.

Ncube apologised to the committee, saying the mayor had assigned his deputy, Chris Mbanga, to represent him, but he did not show up.

Manyenyeni yesterday said he had since contacted Clerk of Parliament, Kennedy Chokuda to register his apology for failing to appear before the committee and was going to write a letter to the committee to that effect.