Probe team hits out at city bigwigs

else the city would degenerate to pre-urban times.
The team had no kind words for Dr Mahachi, describing him as “lethargic and lacking the promptness and drive” to deliver services.
The investigation team noted that a number of resolutions to do with service delivery, removal of illegal car sales and advertising billboards were done by the council.
But, Dr Mahachi failed to implement the resolutions.
In some of the instances, senior managers backed off saying they had received life-threatening calls from unknown persons claiming to represent certain political interests.
“The town clerk, is lethargic in implementing various council resolutions and lacks the promptness and drive to enforce regulations and by-laws.
“This has led to a high level of laxity of council officials,” said Mrs Ellen Chivaviro, who chaired the commi- ttee.
She said failure by Mr Masunda to rein in the officials would take Harare to pre-urban times.
Mrs Chivaviro read out the team’s findings.
“The mayor and his council need to restore the authority to promote and improve the welfare or interests of residents and ratepayers of the city.”
She urged parties involved in the EasiPark matter to settle their differences with speed to enable the city to get revenue from the business.
“The contractual relationship with EasiPark Holdings of South Africa needs to be resolved soon as the council is not realising any value out of its own parking space due to protracted disagreement,” she said.
Harare, Mrs Chivaviro said, is in breach of a Government directive to ring-fence money generated from water sales as only 45 percent of revenue is being ploughed back.
She said failure by the city to supply adequate water was linked to the non-recapitalisation of the department.
“The council allocates 45 percent of its total amount collected per month to the water account, which has the biggest expenditure for water treatment chemicals.
“The allocation is not sufficient for sustainable water treatment operation. This is also contrary to the joint Ministry of Local Government and Water Resources policy of ring-fencing the water account,” she said.
Government directed that money raised from the sale of water should be ploughed back into the water account and was assured that the directive had been implemented.
In the 2013 budget estimates, the city expects to collect US$117 million from water sales with the funds earmarked to fund the bulk of city operations.
Harare Water officials have proposed to give between 20 and 30 percent of their revenue to the city.
The Government directive conforms to World Bank recommendations.
At a recent workshop, World Bank senior water and sanitation specialist Mr Michael Webster said water and sanitation services should run under a utility.
“You should establish an independent water utility for Harare,” he said.