City council is on life support: Mayor

Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni (BM) last week completed a year in office. Despite the promise that greeted his ascension to the throne, the city has seen little or no improvement in most areas. Our Senior Reporter Innocent Ruwende (IR) caught up with him  to talk about the successes and failures of his council.

IR: Your council has been in office for a year, what have you achieved so far?
BM: We have started addressing the heavy cost of our human resources. We are in the middle of downsizing our workforce. The move is a significant start. We are working to remove the perception that we are in the business of employing people because we are in the business of providing municipal services.

This mandate must be done using the most cost-efficient tools be they internal or outsourced – something we must now actively encourage. I see significant savings out of outsourcing. Our internal efficiencies can be quizzed.

The fight to decongest the CBD, regulate vending and deal with mounting litter are ongoing and some positive results are showing. This, however, will depend on the participation of all stakeholders including the public and business.

IR: What challenges have you faced in the execution of your duties as the mayor and council?
BM: We have also failed to increase our revenue collections. As we speak, we are still operating below budget and this has affected our service delivery. We are indeed hamstrung hence the occasional failure to deal with even some minor issues. Financially, we are still on life support.

Council has come up with a raft of financial improvement initiatives.

 IR: Your council inherited projects from the Muchadeyi Masunda-led council, one of them being the Water and Sanitation Project funded under the US$144 million loan, are you satisfied with the progress? What has been done so far?
BM: The water rehabilitation programme is beginning to bear fruit. I try and visit the project every month to evaluate progress. The results of the project are now being felt. Parts of Hatcliffe and Borrowdale started getting some water last week. We will continue evaluating the project and we expect the project’s marked improvement over the next 18 months. Stakeholder interest in project is appreciated.

 IR: The city retired some of its employees who had reached 60 years of age. But, according to the city, some of the workers are now being rehired, what is the rationale?
BM: We have no intention of moving backwards but the process will remain under continued review in order to correct any unintended consequences like closing serious critical skills gaps. We are committed to both the rightsizing and to protecting service delivery as we retool our remaining workforce to ensure improved service to our residents.

IR: The city’s roads were in bad shape when you took office. One year on nothing much has changed since you came into office, what is the city doing to address the  roads?
BM: If we had the necessary financial resources every area would be fixed, you know we don’t have money. Our road rehabilitation programme needs funding and we are looking for alternative sources of funding.

IR: Most of the city’s funds are still going towards salaries in defiance of the Government directive of 70:30 percent ratio in favour of service delivery, what measures are you putting in place to rectify the situation?
BM: Continual evaluation of this benchmark directive is critical and we invite all views on this matter. I have tasked the labour leaders to contribute to this cost conversation because they are part of the solution. They must come on board. It has taken long to hear from them, but I am not giving up. We need their input. It’s a shared outcome we must be chasing.

IR: The issue of salaries has been a thorny issue for residents especially with reports that the top brass are still earning hefty salaries, what is the real situation on the ground?
BM: The situation continues to be fluid. There is nothing much we can do without a clear commitment from central Government. It is an important aspect of the salary rationalisation programme.

IR: We see the city is refurbishing Town House, are there plans of refurbishing other council buildings which are in bad shape?
BM: Thank you for not asking the usual questions! Sure, but we say it should not be just council buildings. We would want all property owners to spruce up their buildings. We are grateful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for this kind support.