Chronicle Editor
Limukani Ncube, Editor
“Who doesn’t remember (late) Morgan Tsvangirai’s words when he talked about corruption in the MDC recently? Some of you were moving around in flip flops (mapatapata) before you became councillors but are now driving posh cars. Yes, I have several friends who fall into this category. They didn’t exactly walk barefoot before being elected into office, but they had nothing to their names. They got access to and illegally sold housing stands and demanded all sorts of bribes from the people in exchange for favours. They built houses in posh suburbs and now own some businesses, in addition to one or two small houses. Some of them are what is now commonly known in South Africa as tenderpreneurs.”
The above statement is from an online article published by a Zimbabwean website in 2013. Exactly 10 years down the line, it still speaks to what is happening in the corridors of power in most local authorities. It is said to be prevalent in urban councils where there is a lot of business that passes through committees in council chambers. To some in opposition politics, getting into politics has become some El Dorado of sorts, that lost “city gold” that has to be pursued and found.
In the run-up to the recent general elections, the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) had double candidates in 41 seats across the country. Double candidates were attributed to the chaotic manner in which candidates were selected and imposition of candidates by the party leadership.
A total of 20 double candidates were for the National Assembly, and 21 were for councillors with Bulawayo topping the list with nine candidates, Marondera and Harare with three candidates each, while Nkayi Rural District Council had six candidates. However, a Bulawayo researcher and civic society activist Mr Effie Ncube told journalists in the run-up to the elections that the huge number of double candidates was because politics had become a get-rich scheme for many people.
“The reason why we are seeing a lot of double candidates in the CCC is because politics is a get-rich scheme to many people out there. The route is extremely competitive but people are willing to sacrifice all they have to get into the race with the hope that they will recoup whatever they would have spent along the way. The other reason is of course lack of internal democracy in parties when choosing candidates,” said Mr Ncube.
Urban councils play an essential role in Zimbabwe’s administration by conferring functions and powers upon municipal councils. Effective urban governance can improve the well-being of the urban poor by facilitating access to economic opportunities while maximising the potential of urban areas.
This requires institutionalising mechanisms of coordination, planning, and accountability among diverse stakeholders. Most residents look back with nostalgia on how their beloved cities were well run, after seeing service delivery deteriorate since the turn of the new millennium. The sad developments coincide with the coming in of councillors from opposition political parties which have changed names and surnames from the era of MDC, MDC T, MDC N, MDC Alliance, MDC (Mwonzora) and now CCC led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
The new crop of councillors has been accused of prioritising riches at the expense of service delivery. While councillors are entitled to some perks that include purchasing a housing stand at a heavy discount, some have used their stint in council to utilise inside information and contacts to engage in corrupt deals and get their hands on land and tenders. If they are not getting land and tenders, some are accused of using their committees to demand bribes from would-be investors and those who do business with the council. Some councillors have been accused of working in cahoots with senior management in councils.
The situation prevailing in councils has also been blamed on the poor calibre of councillors who get into office at the back of party popularity in towns and cities at the expense of personal character and substance. Such people take advantage of the fact that the electoral law does not demand them to own properties in their wards—they just have to be resident in that ward, which means a city can have councillors who are not “ratepayers” in the true sense, and thus with no serious connection and interests in the wards they purport to represent.
In short, a councillor or even mayor can be anyone, even a school dropout who has reached the legal age of majority and sleeping in his or her grandmother’s spare bedroom. Even worse, anyone can use their friend’s or relative’s address to register as a candidate in the ward and vie for office while coming from another suburb or town, as long as they have party backing.
Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial chairman Cde Jabulani Sibanda is on record saying city fathers have presided over widespread corruption, converting council resources to personal enrichment while neglecting the needs of communities.
“Our children should have hope. They should have hope to one day get a job, buy a car, own a house and start a family. As things stand, they have none of that and the people that we are electing as city fathers are taking everything. They have depleted our resources like the bars and beer halls that used to finance council programmes and projects. Our grandmothers are now the ones that are paying monies that eventually go on to fund the salaries of mayors and other officials. We are paying them so that they go on to steal from us. I want to say that their time is up,” he said.
In the past, some councillors have been suspended by the Government after being heavily linked to corruption. The new Bulawayo Mayor, Clr David Coltart, has repeatedly said that there were a lot of suspicious tendencies at the council that had to be looked into to ascertain if they were done above board. These include tenders and contracts awarded by the local authority.
“If I am to sum up my vision for the city, it is to clean up Bulawayo. It has become clear in my mind that one of the reasons why Bulawayo is not working is because of corruption which has become endemic. Bulawayo is not working because of corruption; it is driving away potential investors. I want our city to have more investments and we can do that by eradicating corruption, which has become endemic,” Clr Coltart was quoted as saying in the run-up to the election, sentiments which he repeated after being sworn in.
Furthermore, there were reports of councillors giving each other gifts and cash, while campaigning for key seats in the council. The question that however, does not beg for an answer is; Why spend personal money and resources to fund a campaign in which you are supposed to be a public servant? This get-rich scheme in councils must stop. But only when men and women of integrity have been elected into office.
Bongani Ndlovu