Councillors defy mayor

city’s eight standing committees arguing that he was out to impose “compliant” individuals as chairpersons.
The reorganisation was supposed to take place on Wednesday but councillors felt Mr Masunda was ambushing them and they opted to caucus among themselves first to have a common position.
But in separate interviews after the special council meeting, councillors said they would resist Mr Masunda’s manoeuvres as they viewed his actions as bordering on victimisation of outspoken councillors.
They felt Mr Masunda wanted to impose his preferred “blue-eyed” boys as chairpersons of influential committees.
Chairman of the human resources committee Councillor Panganayi Charumbira, said he felt Mr Masunda was taking the action because his committee had demanded that directors’ contracts of employment be availed for the scrutiny by full council.
Before the decision by the councillors to caucus first was made, Clr Julius Musevenzi had proposed that the matter be discussed in committee – away from the glare of the media.
Clr Wellington Chikombo argued that because the matter had been hastily tabled, councillors needed enough time to study the minutes.
But Clr Charumbira suggested that a caucus should be held first before Mr Masunda could have his way. “We do not want to be ambushed. We want to caucus first,” he said.
Mr Masunda then agreed to defer the reorganisation but declared that the composition of the committees remained his discretion. “We need to rotate the councillors. I will exercise my discretion on who sits on which committee and on outside bodies,” he said.
Councillors felt Mr Masunda was showing traits of dictatorship. Clr Evelyn Njiri said the reorganisation was a waste of time and previous reorganisations of the committees have not improved anything.
“Let us go with what we have. We are going towards elections and it is pointless to reorganise the committees,” she said to applause from the fellow councillors.
Meanwhile Harare has formally dissolved an ad-hoc committee set up to investigate land sales, leases and exchanges between 2004 and 2009 to pave way for the appointment of an independent tribunal.
The committee, which dismissed councillor Mr Warship Dumba led, was dissolved with the concurrence of the full council.
Dumba was fired on charges of corruption and dishonesty.
The mayor said the independent tribunal made up of people from civic society would be announced on June 30 during a full council meeting.
“The names would be announced on June 30. The tribunal should not take more than three months to conclude its investigations,” he said.
He told the councillors that council should not be the prosecutor, judge and slayer in the matter adding that it was time the matter was concluded.
Mr Masunda praised Mr Dumba and the team of councillors he worked with for a “job well done”.
The report alleged that Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo and businessman Mr Philip Chiyangwa were involved in unclear land deals.
Efforts by Mr Dumba to have Minister Chombo and Mr Chiyangwa arrested failed due to lack of incriminating evidence. The two were also not accorded an opportunity to defend themselves hence the report was viewed as partisan.
Minister Chombo has distanced himself from the corruption allegations saying the charges were aimed at tarnishing his image.
“Creative and highly imaginative elements have accused me of owning a multitude of houses and stands in every city and town in Zimbabwe. This is a figment of their fertile imaginations aimed at tarnishing my image.
“Credible investigative authorities such as our Police and Anti Corruption Commission have been bombarded with such mischievous and baseless reports for a long time.
“It’s these authorities who should speak of corruption, if there is any, and nobody else,” he said in a recent interview with this paper.
Mr Chiyangwa has also dismissed the allegations and at one time sued Mr Masunda and all the members of the ad-hoc committee.
Reacting to queries by some councillors who said they endorsed the appointment of the tribunal under protest, Mr Masunda said the appointment of the independent tribunal was not an abdication of council’s responsibility.
“The tribunal is ours. The findings would be debated here,” he said.
Some councillors felt referring the matter to the tribunal was a way of killing it.