Online Reporter
The Government has intensified efforts to restore order, cleanliness and safety in towns and cities through the National Clean-Up, Restoration, Order and Safety Programme, popularly known as Operation Chenesa. The initiative targets illegal vending, unregulated business activities, disorderly urban settlements and other practices that undermine orderly development. On the sidelines of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Governance Transformation Workshop held in Kadoma last week, Mashonaland West Bureau’s CONRAD MUPESA spoke to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, ENGINEER TAFADZWA MUGUTI, on progress, the accountability of local authorities and measures being taken to tighten liquor licensing controls amid growing concerns over drug and substance abuse.
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Q: Engineer Muguti, may you explain to the nation the idea and importance of the National Clean-Up, Restoration, Order and Safety Programme, also known as Operation Chenesa?
A: Every country in the world is governed by laws and regulations. It had become concerning that some people were operating businesses on roadsides and shop pavements without regard for the law. We are working to restore order. Councils have marketplaces, some of which were leased to private players and later converted into garages and premises for other activities unrelated to their original purpose.
We have also noted that some markets were sold.
As part of efforts to restore order, we are introducing a programme under which every ward should have a designated marketplace.
It is important to recognise that Government has already demonstrated its commitment to restoring order, cleanliness and functionality in our communities.
In December 2018, His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, launched the National Clean-Up Campaign, calling for collective action to maintain a clean, safe and healthy environment.
As the ministry responsible for Local Government and Public Works, we have built on that initiative through the implementation of the National Clean-Up, Restoration, Order and Safety Programme.
The initiative started in Harare and is now being rolled out across the country. Significant progress is already being recorded, demonstrating what can be achieved when Government institutions, local authorities, communities and other stakeholders work together.
This initiative is not simply about picking up litter.
It is about restoring order, reclaiming public spaces, improving the quality of our urban and rural environments, strengthening municipal systems and creating communities that are clean, safe, orderly and conducive to investment and economic activity.
Q: We have seen that some towns are yet to implement the programme. Does the ministry regard that as defiance?
A: As Government, we are not going to tolerate defiance. We are a country with three tiers of Government — Central Government, Provincial Government and Local Government. Local authorities are not a union; they are part of Government.
If Central Government says we should move together, then we should do so with one voice.
We want to ensure that every council has a strategic transformation plan that includes the construction of environmentally friendly and well-planned marketplaces. Councils should also ensure there is order in their central business districts.
Q: We have seen some people resorting to vending at night, especially in Harare. What is the ministry’s position on this?
A: We have not yet reached a night economy. In addition, we cannot have people selling goods outside shops when the same products are being sold inside those shops. There should be discipline across the country if we are to attain Vision 2030.
As Government, we will soon launch the “One Ward, One Market” programme, which will benefit registered vendors. We want our people to earn a living, but that should not come at the expense of registered and fully licensed businesses.
We want councils to enforce model by-laws.
Calls for people who wish to become vendors to register are already being made through radio and newspapers, and preference will be given to registered individuals. Councils will designate specific places and routes for vendors and hawkers to operate.
Government also plans to construct additional marketplaces through public-private partnerships and other financing models.
However, all such markets must be approved. At the same time, councils should ensure that existing market stalls are restored so that communities can benefit from them. These facilities must be user-friendly for people with disabilities, but that does not mean anyone should operate outside the law.
Let us work together as a nation and avoid actions that undermine the law and Government programmes. Let me also warn those who are inciting people to resist Operation Chenesa and Government programmes that such conduct will not be tolerated. We want people to comply with the law and, where they are removed from unauthorised operating spaces, they should do so peacefully.
Q: During the workshop, you indicated that Zimbabwe has more beerhalls and bottle stores than social amenities. What measures is the ministry taking to address this situation?
A: The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has embarked on the National Liquor Inspectorate Programme.
We are moving from one local authority to another assessing how liquor licences are being issued. We have discovered that some liquor licences were issued to premises located near hospitals, schools, old people’s homes and places of worship, which is not permitted by law.
We have also noted an excessive concentration of liquor outlets in some areas. In many shopping centres, there are now more liquor stores than shops, barbershops and other businesses.
The law is very clear. We will hold local authorities accountable and determine whether proper procedures were followed when these licences were issued. Where irregularities are identified, corrective action will be taken.
Given the growing challenge of drug and substance abuse, it is concerning that applications for liquor licences continue to rise at a time when more young people are being exposed to alcohol and harmful substances.
We are, therefore, reforming the law to make it more stringent.
Obtaining a liquor licence will become more rigorous because licence holders must be fully accountable for their operations.
We are also concerned by reports that some licence holders are involved in the distribution of drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, and the sale of alcohol to underage persons. This will not be tolerated.
We will continue conducting inspections across the country.
Where there is an oversupply of bottle stores, local authorities must take corrective action in line with the law.
They know which outlets meet the legal requirements and which do not.
It is time for every tier of Government to be accountable rather than shifting responsibility to Central Government.
