The urgent appointment of an independent commission to run the City of Harare’s affairs maybe the shrewdest thing that the government can do in light of the mess that has become the capital in general and council affairs in particular.
OPINION: Learnmore Zuze
From the bungled appointment of town clerk, James Mushore set to cost ratepayers thousands of dollars to progressive failure in service delivery, the government would certainly do well to appoint an unblemished commission to run affairs until 2018.
Politics aside, the Sunshine City, despite the general economic paralysis gripping the country, could be better than what it is.
Poor delivery, the chaotic mishika-shika, mounds of garbage and perennially dysfunctional traffic lights are now the order of the day.
It would appear Harare residents have resigned to fate as the city, if it can be called that, has just become something of a jungle with personal fights and vendettas reigning supreme in council.
The catfights that have characterised the last few years have actually turned uglier, seeing as it is that councillors are now demanding power to appraise employees’ performance.
This was not bad per se being done in an objective spirit and with the necessary transparency.
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It was reported last week that Harare City councillors now want to take over from the Local Government Board (LBG) the rating of employees’ performance.
Traditionally, the confirmation of employees on probation has been the prerogative of the LGB.
Councillors, nonetheless, have now asserted that they should do the rating. Now, this demand by the councillors was not so much a ludicrous proposition, but coming as it is at this time betrays some sinister agenda.
The forceful need to evaluate performance of employees naturally raises eyebrows.
It smacks of a hidden agenda and it is this perennial fighting and witch-hunting that has had the city looking like some growth-point with, on average, according to reports, 53% of traffic lights not working at any given time among other failed deliverables.
There is a serious obsession with personalities than real focus to push council progress. The personal fights at council have affected operations in a big way.
The incumbent directors are always busy trying to fight off possible suspensions, instead of focusing on delivery.
They cannot give optimum performance when they have to work under such hostility.
It is sad that while the formerly glorified City of Harare lies in comatose, there seems to be an unhealthy focus on politically-motivated battles.
The ongoing bouts at council continue to stall progress and it would be better that a commission is chosen that can see things outside political lenses.
It is very unlikely that the incumbent mayor, with less than a year before next elections, will be able to clear any of the mess that has resulted during his tenure.
Mushore’s appointment to the position of town clerk, which is yet to be nullified, is still legally binding and, sad to say, it will be the poor ratepayer who will meet with the fate long after politicians have gone.
Like what happened in the appointment of former finance director, one Justin Mandizha, whose appointment raised nepotism dust and has since left council with rich pickings after dismal failure, the Mushore case may be a replica of the same.
Recently council appointed two directors — finance, and housing and community services — and the process was done procedurally with the recommendations being forward to the LGB, but strangely this process was prevaricated in Mushore’s appointment, which naturally raised a stink.
A very classic example of the unproductive culture that has taken root at the Harare council is the continued onslaught on directors at the council in a manner that betrays vindictiveness.
The zeal and aggression by some councillors to influence and evaluate rating of employees, in all honestness, betrays maliciousness, and, politics aside, this is not good for the city.
It was reported that the mayor had, after failure to suspend directors, now appointed a tribunal to investigate council directors on a number of issues.
The initial attempt to use the Local Government ministry audit to suspend executives hit a snag and now, the renewed attempt to appoint a tribunal, headed by a retired white judge, Justice George Smith, definitely smacks of victimisation and this is certainly what will have the city stuck in its unproductive rut.
The natural question is whether or not the terms of reference of this recently appointed tribunal are the same as those presented by the ministry or it’s an outright new construction driven by a purely different motive.
Further, that the names of the other four members of the tribunal remain a closely guarded secret again betrays clandestine motives.
The members of the tribunal, in my view, ought to be as transparent as possible.
The situation is just ghoulish and a commission to run council affairs may be the best thing to happen to the residents of Harare.
The government must appoint an autonomous body to help clean the muddle in the council. Harare’s residents are the real losers in these fights.
Learnmore Zuze is a law officer and writes in his own capacity. E-mail: [email protected]
