adminthe powers of the Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development over municipal and town councils.
This paves way for the Act to be amended through a Private Member’s Bill.
Steering the motion, Buhera Central legislator, Mr Tangwara Matimba (MDC-T) said the Bill would encourage democracy at local authority levels. “We want councils to be effectively and efficiently managed without interference from the minister,” Mr Matimba said. “In the Bill, councils will be run by wholly elected councillors, it also seeks to reduce the minister (Local Government, Urban and Rural Development)’s powers.
“Section 18 has so much power invested in the minister and I feel these powers have to be curtailed or at least left at reasonable level.
“Section D14 also gives the minister power to direct or rescind Full Council resolutions.”
Highfield West MP, Mr Simon Hove (MDC-T) said when councillors are voted into power, people will be expecting responsibility and accountability which he said was not possible with the powers vested in the Local Government Minister.
“The current Act is full of innuendos which take away power from the people who voted for those councillors. The Act is full of references to the minister and not the councillors who are supposed to be running the councils . . . The minister should confine himself to policy matters and not the day to day running of councils,” he said.
Mr Misheck Kagurabadza (MDC-T-Mutasa South) said the issue of special interest councillors was also supposed to be amended because there was a tendency by the minister to appoint incompetent people.
“How can we have Esau Mupfumi appointed as a special interest councillor for disabled women in Mutare? We want special interest councillors to be appointed on merit. We also want executive mayors back for our
cities because when they were removed it was done politically,” said Mr Kagurabadza.
However, Zanu-PF legislator for Gokwe, Cde Dorothy Mangami said there was nothing wrong with the minister appointing special interest councillors because they were there to cater for specific groups.
“The challenge we have is that the Act does not have qualification requirements which has led to some councillors being elected not because of competency but popularity.
“There is therefore need for the minister to appoint the special interest councillors with skills to fill in the gap.
“We also have challenges where councillors who are not permanent residents in a particular area are elected and after the election leave that area,” she said.
Online Reporter