‘My job is to restore Harare’s glory’

IN September, President Mnangagwa appointed Provincial Development Coordinators across the country’s 10 provinces as part of implementing the Devolution programme. Last week, our reporter Langton Nyakwenda caught up with Harare Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti to understand his role and what he is planning for the province.

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Q: As Provincial Development Coordinator, what is your mandate?

A: My mandate is, firstly, to bring order and sanity within Harare Metropolitan Province, including Chitungwiza, Ruwa and Epworth. Secondly, it is to ensure that we create a production-oriented Harare to return to the city’s glory days that were anchored by industrial production. Thirdly, it is the collaboration of all Government functions within the province. This includes working with parastatals. In short, I am the most senior civil servant in the province and my task is to ensure that all Government functions work well.

Q: You were appointed on September 1. How has been the experience so far?

A: When I entered this job, I appreciated the frustrations of how local authorities have a lethargic approach. Previously, I worked in South Africa (SA) for 10 years and when you look at Johannesburg Municipality, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, the fundamentals are right in terms of the way they administer their work. They have their own issues like informal settlements, but the fundamentals, like getting people to pay their bills on time, collecting rates and service delivery, are on point. I have also worked in investment promotion, so through my experience of travelling across Africa, I also know the potential that our local authorities have. Harare Metropolitan has got potential to have a greater GDP (gross domestic product) than Malawi, Zambia and other African countries because of the city’s industrial potential.

Q: What do you think has to change in local councils?

A: It is the attitude. A council that has no compassion for its residents is an incompetent council. If it takes a week to repair a sewer line, you don’t have compassion for your people. I say this because every single authority has got staff at ward level, they have got staff at district level, so it should be quite easy for matters to be escalated. So, quite clearly, the attitude of local authorities has to change. Apart from the attitude, there is also the aspect of innovation. Drawing revenue solely from rates and taxes shows deficiency in innovation.

Q: You come into office at a time when there is rot in Chitungwiza, particularly the one caused by land barons. How do you intend to solve this?

A: In Chitungwiza, there is a spirit of greed. Land barons are selling land or have sold land which they do not own. They are placing stands on top of sewer lines, in ditches, knowing fully well that when the law kicks in, these houses will be demolished. Chitungwiza has massive potential.

I have challenged councillors in Chitungwiza to be open-minded and to start thinking about the economic opportunities in their wards. I will give one example. The councillor in charge of the Aquatic Complex should be pushing for national or regional galas or other events to be hosted there.

Q: We understand you have plans to carry out lifestyle audits on Harare councillors?

A: The lifestyle audit is not accusatory. It actually promotes the integrity of leaders. Zimra is carrying out lifestyle audits on its members, so why not councils? Councillors and mayors should be volunteering to be audited. We are not going to start with someone who is not before the courts. The law is very clear: We can apply to take your ill-gotten wealth. All these unexplained houses can be taken by the State.

Q: Tell us the status of Mupedzanhamo Market in Mbare which has been closed for a while now?

A: One would ask: Why Mupedzanhamo? You do not create an urban renewal programme without an epicentre of economic activity. Mbare has always been known for its markets and at some point Mbare markets were well-maintained. I have got a vision for Mupedzanhamo to have a culture and heritage centre. There are people in Mupedzanhamo making arts and crafts, but there is nowhere to sell them. So I am formalising that sector and it is a huge opportunity, a huge market.

Also, engineers are designing a two-storey building for traditional markets. But we are going to be guided by those people who have been there before. In all those places where people are selling bananas and fighting for space and bales, we want to put proper structures and collect revenue. Using that money, we can renovate the flats. At Siyaso, we want to uplift people and put them into formalised, commercially viable and affordable infrastructure.

Q: What are your overall plans for improving the water situation in Harare?

A: A number of dam projects are awaiting Treasury funding. First, there is Kunzvi Dam and we have put across what needs to be done. In addition to Kunzvi, we also have Musami Dam and the idea is to create one water treatment plant drawing from both dams. That water should address requirements for Harare North, Mabvuku and Ruwa.

There is also Muda Dam, which is a good project that should address Chitungwiza because it will provide water for the industrial areas. If we bring in Muda, it allows for industrial production to grow. Also, there is a feasibility study currently going on for Nyatsime Dam for Chitungwiza. There is a water body that never gets depleted and that’s the Quarry Dam in Epworth. It has been used for dumping of cars, suicides, pollution and all that. But underneath that water are serious water tables that feed into Quarry Dam. Ruwa has Norah Valley Dam, which we have since toured and the sad story about this dam is that it only needs about US$400 000 for de-siltation and expanding it. This will mean Ruwa will have enough water for the next two years. So our five-year plan is to get all those dams functional, but in the next 12 months we need to free up wetlands.