City fathers demand offices

Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Correspondent
Harare City councillors have resolved to have offices in their respective wards, a move residents fear the city fathers will use to convert their positions into full-time jobs and start demanding monthly salaries.

Further, residents said the move was a manifestation that councillors who play an oversight role at the municipality did not have confidence in council workers who must implement their resolutions and policies.

While residents are pessimistic, the Urban Councils’ Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) believes the move, if implemented in its true sense, was commendable as it would bring councillors closer to the people.

Councillors say they want to use their offices to administer residents’ queries and concerns.

Harare has 46 councillors representing their respective wards, with offices for 39 already secured while plans to construct the remainder are on the cards.

According to recent Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licensing Committee minutes, the director of housing and community services, Mr Addmore Nhekairo, reported that there was notable progress in availing councillors with offices.

“According to council resolution, councillors were to be provided with offices at council institutions to administer residents’ queries and concerns regarding service delivery.

“The resolution had been implemented as one of the district officers’ monthly performance targets for the year 2019. The committee noted that a total of 39 councillors had been provided with offices.

“Concerted efforts were being made to ensure that the remaining seven councillors were provided with offices by constructing new offices or renovating those at council institutions,” read the minutes.

Harare spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said council offices were a necessity.

“There is a cost to all service delivery matters. Councillors are the closest representatives of the people who should be more accessible than any other representative. More so, the offices are centrally located to improve accessibility and to reduce walking distances,” he said.

Harare Residents’ Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said the city fathers were not full-time employees of the city, but community leaders chosen to represent ratepayers.

“Councillors play an oversight role in council management through committees and the full council, facilitate community development and they make policies and by-laws in the name of ratepayers,” he said.

“This request is evidence that the councillors are trying to convert their positions into full-time jobs. They should make time for the electorate as they did when they were campaigning for office. The ratepayers are already burdened with the numerous workshops that they have conducted outside Harare. Every month the councillors earn allowances from the ratepayers’ account,” he said.

Mr Shumba also said these councillors should not find ways to directly interfere with the work of the local district officers, revenue officers and other council technocrats.

“If the councillors are so desperate to effectively do their work in their respective wards, why are they not simply requesting their local district officers for the use of council boardrooms at district offices on specified days and times so that they meet and engage residents,” he said.

UCAZ secretary-generalMr Livison Mutekede said while it may not be within the confines of the law for councillors to have offices it was a good practice.

“Councils are obliged to make a resolution to that effect as long it is not ultra vires the statutes. Also, they cannot have an office to counter official ones like Town House.

“However, it is a noble idea as it enhances councillors’ participation with residents and brings them close to the people. It is actually a good practice and we encourage to be in touch with residents at ward level,” he said.