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Minister Chombo

Takunda Maodza Senior Reporter
The honeymoon is over for Zanu-PF councillors and those under-performing will be fired, outgoing Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo has said.
During the harmonised elections Zanu-PF won 1 493 wards out of 1 958 wards, assuming control of the majority of the urban and rural councils.

In an interview with The Herald recently, Minister Chombo said it was time to deliver services after residents went through traumatising poor service provision by MDC-T councils in the past five years.

“As a Zanu-PF Government, we will chase away all mayors who do not perform according to the expected standards.
“If you are a Zanu-PF councillor and you do not perform, we will not hesitate to fire you,” Minister Chombo said.

He said a Zanu-PF Government would not expect Zanu-PF councillors to behave like those from the MDC-T under whose stewardship councils collapsed.

“We do not expect Zanu-PF councillors to behave like MDC-T councillors who went there strictly to enrich themselves and not to provide service to the community,” Minister Chombo said.

He said unlike with MDC-T run councils, being a councillor was not a licence to loot.
“Councillorship is not a job. It is a leadership opportunity you are given by the people. You are their spokesperson on matters civic,” Minister Chombo said.

Meanwhile, Minister Chombo revealed that some councils such as Harare have given business relief on the huge bills they owe the municipality.

“The Harare City Council has taken a wise and positive decision. They are going to give business a 40 percent discount on their bills if they settle what they owe between now and December. They are rewarding those who were excluded by my directive because they are in business.
“But business is saying they are also being hurt by the sanctions induced economic situation and want relief as well so that their business is resuscitated.

“This was done by the Harare City Council without my input. It was an initiative by the city of Harare, which is good and we are saying other councils must follow suit,” he said.

A council official confirmed the development yesterday.
Minister Chombo recently ordered councils to write off residents’ outstanding debts citing economic hardships and it is beneficial to councils and dismissed sentiments from some quarters that the move was retrogressive.

“It makes you gain more. It makes the individual more inclined to pay than not to pay,” he said.
Last week, Government ordered all 92 local authorities countrywide to immediately surrender back houses and housing stands they repossessed from aspiring home owners who failed to settle payments accrued at the height of the sanctions-induced economic crisis.
The councils were further instructed to extend payment periods and development moratoriums by up to 20 years to give hard-pressed people the chance to settle their dues.

Minister Chombo said those who defaulted on payments were supposed to be given a grace period of up to 20 years to settle the arrears.