‘Chitungwiza needs strategic thinking’

Fungai Mbetsa (FM), on his six-month stint in Chitungwiza. He shares some of his experiences in a hostile environment where he trusted no one other than his shadow.
MC: Now that your term has come to an end. Do you have any regrets about coming to Chitungwiza?
FM: No. I do not have any regrets. I have done my contribution to bring sanity back to Chitungwiza.
MC: How was your working relationship with the officials and councillors given that your job brief resulted in the dismissal and suspension of officials and councillors?
FM: My relationship was a love hate one. The people here did not understand why I had come in starting with the Mayor. Only the workers who had appealed to Minister Chombo understood my brief that my team had come on board to assist the council to manage processes of transition. Officials were sceptical. They were scared. They did not understand how I was going to react to their issues given that some of them were accused of corruption. There were issues that needed to be corrected like that of using council funds to buy personal houses, giving themselves hefty loans and salary increments without the consent of full council. These issues made them sceptical. I had to cut down on their salaries and allowances. That resolution complied with the Ministerial directive.
MC: Some people say you were very cautious during your term to an extent you did not even allow council employees to prepare your tea? What made you afraid?
FM: I had come into enemy territory. I did not trust anyone to make my tea. I had to be cautious in every decision. I had to be impartial and free from unnecessary influence. Up to my last day I have not asked anyone to make my tea.
But I had grown to trust some people. I could accept to be driven and be given some information but I always took it with a pinch of salt. You should understand my coming here was looked with suspicion. Some said I was put here by Minister Chombo to fire everyone.
But I was here to create systems and to encourage dialogue and manage contracts. I came here in a hostile environment. I came here as a change agent.
MC: Given another opportunity would you agree for an encore in Chitungwiza?
FM: With what has been put in place I will not mind working for Chitungwiza given an opportunity. It is a municipality with great potential.
The population is its biggest asset. It is the third largest urban centre in terms of population. Chitungwiza only misses on infrastructure development. If properly rolled out, Chitungwiza can become one of the biggest local authorities in the country.
One would naturally want to associate with Chitungwiza. But for now the important thing is that I leave.
Now there is need for new direction and strategic thinking as we take Chitungwiza on a resuscitation path. The new town clerk (Mr George Makunde) should take Chitungwiza to another level.
MC: What would you do differently in Chitungwiza if you were re-appointed for another term?
FM: Chitungwiza needs strategic thinking and development focus. It needs people who can now take it forward.
The council needs a master plan and a mission statement. It needs thinkers who probe whether Chitungwiza should remain a dormitory town or that which should grow and have its own sustainable industrial base.
Previous managements focused on crisis management and tried to do the impossible. The issue of water continues to be a problem. Land ownership is one issue that needs to be addressed. Chitungwiza Municipality does not own any land.
All the land here is State land. I would want Chitungwiza to get a deed of grant so that all the land becomes municipal land. That way Chitungwiza can leverage the land to do bigger projects.
However, my brief did not include that. My focus was to create systems. If I were to come back to Chitungwiza again I would ensure it has its own water, the issue of land is addressed.
MC: Honestly speaking, what would you recommend to Government as the lasting solution to Chitungwiza?
FM: The water issue is the biggest problem. My own view is that Chitungwiza should have its own water. The water problem affects issues of sewer. When there is no water there is a problem of sewer blockages. We need running water on a daily basis in Chitungwiza.
My recommendation is let us decouple Chitungwiza water from Harare. Chitungwiza should have its stand-alone water source.
For the short term we should look at having Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant from Harare while the long term should see council constructing Muda Dam. The council needs stability.
People with experience in local government should be employed to head the council. The town clerk and the directorate should all be men and women of honour. If a good directorate is in place I will have no doubt the council will take off. We also need an effective middle management. When I came in, the middle management was non existent.
MC: Some members of the community refer to you as “stubborn Mbetsa” because you either refused to bend down to their wishes or you told them off. What is your comment?
FM: I had an open door policy. Everyone who came with complaints and issues, I would entertain. I did not agree on how to be told to run the organisation and to be told which resolutions to make. Some people advised me to do illegal things or things which were corrupt. On such issues I was stubborn. I said no because it was against my own principles.
MC: Does Chitungwiza Municipality have people with the requisite skills to lead it?
FM: When we came in there were problems. But as my team leaves there is a new town clerk with 21 years experience in local government. We have also put in place a competent team of directors. But my view is that the directors need strict supervision. They need a head who is clear and resolute and who can supervise them. A stop should be put on directors acting in other portfolios where their competencies are zero. For example when my team came in some directors were giving themselves personal loans. We have a director who still owes council  US$200 000. Some of the old directors are still a liability to council.
MC: There has been a lot of talk on the national calibre of councillors and mayors. What is your assessment of Chitungwiza? Does the council have the right calibre of councillors?
FM: The 2008 election brought in a new breed of councillors. Councillors who came from the streets, vendors, teachers and all sorts of characters. But the question is what interests they are protecting. Political, civic or personal?
To me most of the councillors viewed council as a grave train or employment opportunity. Councils ended up with selfish decisions.
The councillors never looked at civic matters but at protecting their self interests. I would recommend that we have councillors with civic interests to protect, a councillor who advocates for service delivery.
We also need a councillor with property to protect. We want a councillor who wants schools for the people and not one who wants a school site subdivided into residential stands.
MC: And why did you not apply for the post of town clerk?
FM: To me it was a question of principle. I did not come to make noise to that I become the town clerk. I was here to correct a situation. I was not doing it for myself. I could not see myself saying I was interested in the post of town clerk.
It was going to be wrong because at the end of day that is not what change management says. Change management agents come and go. But in future if other opportunities arise I would consider them.
MC: Did you achieve the mandate given to you by Government or you are leaving the council in a worse off position?
FM: I think council is now better off than when we came in. Council now has systems. We have managed to reduce the incidences of corruption to a large extent. My team managed to achieve the terms of reference as given by Minister Chombo.
MC: Finally Mr Mbetsa. Any changes you would propose to the Urban Councils Act which you think are hindering service delivery?
FM: I think town clerks have too much leeway. Because of that at times they go haywire. There are no systems besides full council which can reign in on the town clerks. Here we had a management that was defying council by going into contracts without authority. In one of the contracts management signed a US$9 million contract with a private company without council approval. The ministry did not even know.
My recommendation would be that all agreements of such a bigger nature should be approved by Government. I also propose there is more oversight by Government on the roles of the town clerk and senior managers. The ministry should be hands on.