Online Reporter
Diana Nherera
Herald Reporter
HARARE Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume has expressed the city’s gratitude to Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe for extending arresting powers to local authorities.
This follows the approval by Cabinet of a Bill that will give municipal officers powers to apprehend or enforce local authority by-laws.
Cllr Mafume was speaking after touring Wilkins Rehabilitation Centre today.
“We are very thankful to the Minister of Home Affairs for his willingness to give us a small portion of his powers,” he said.
“We want to assure the public that we will handle this power responsibly. We will remove the bad apples that are among us.
“We cannot allow the activity of one bad apple to hinder our progress. So we are very appreciative of the Whole of Government Approach that we are now taking.”
Cabinet on Tuesday considered and approved the Municipal Police and Courts Bill, which seeks to strengthen the legal framework governing municipal policing and establish dedicated municipal courts to handle by-law offences and other minor cases.
The Bill was presented by the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
The proposed law is aimed at improving governance, service delivery and access to justice by equipping local authorities with stronger enforcement mechanisms.
“The Bill strengthens the legal framework for municipalities to establish and maintain dedicated and professional police services focused on community safety, by-law enforcement, traffic management, and local crime prevention,” read the statement issued after the Cabinet sitting.
“Additionally, the Bill provides for the creation of municipal courts; definition of the courts’ jurisdiction, including over municipal by-laws, minor offenses, traffic violations; and the appointment of municipal magistrates, among other matters prescribed by the law.”
The statement said the Bill is also designed to professionalise municipal policing while improving public safety and environmental management.
Mathew Masinge