adminHerald yesterday on corruption besetting most MDC-T-run councils, Minister Chombo said the amendments to UCA two years ago took away his powers to dismiss incompetent councils.
He no longer has the power to dismiss and replace the inefficient councils with commissions.
“The current crop of the MDC-T urban councillors are the worst since independence in 1980. Amendments to the Urban Councils Act have taken away the aspect of appointing commissions where councils are not performing well.
“I can no longer dissolve councils because of amendments to the Urban Councils Act. This has created problems as I end up digging at the bottom of the barrel to look for someone who can lead a city. I end up working with incompetent councillors and councils. I am stuck. I am hamstrung,” Minister Chombo said.
He said he was happy that the MDC-T was finally realising how bad the situation was in councils as councillors were lining their pockets at the expense of service delivery.
“I am happy that the MDC-T is now agreeing with me that their crop of councillors are corrupt and not fit for office. This is the worst crop we have ever had since independence. They do not even seem to know what their mandate ought to be,” Minister Chombo said.
He said councillors were spending time in running battles with council officials instead of representing the interests of people that elected them at ward level.
“They do not even know their functions. They think they were elected to supervise council employees,” Minister Chombo said.
He denied allegations by the MDC-T that he was protecting councillors whom the party would have dismissed for corruption.
“That is nonsense. The MDC-T has been unhelpful. I wrote to the Prime Minister (Morgan Tsvangirai) after they dismissed 12 councillors last month asking him to furnish me with the reports and reasons for their dismissal but he has not responded to date. They have only responded through newspapers. We do not want to make a mistake of dismissing someone when there is no evidence and they go to a superior court, win their cases and we are forced to reinstate them. So far no case has been given to us by the MDC-T,” he said.
Minister Chombo wrote to PM Tsvangirai on September 11, 2012. The minister said he never received formal communication from the MDC-T notifying him on the dismissal of the councillors yet it was his office that superintended over local authorities.
“I am not taking action because we do not have the facts other than newspaper articles. I also do not want to be involved in the MDC-T’s internal fights,” Minister Chombo said.
Section 80, which empowered Minister Chombo to dissolve inefficient councils and appoint commissions, was amended.
Now the minister can only appoint caretakers to act as council if “at any time there are no elected councillors for a council area, or all elected councillors for a councilarea have been suspended or imprisoned or are otherwise unable to exercise all or some of their functions as councillors”.
Only under such conditions can the minister “appoint not more than three persons as caretakers”. However, the situation prevailing will not provide such a void.
MDC-T secretary for local government Mr Sessel Zvidzai yesterday said he would engage Minister Chombo next week on the matter.
Online Reporter