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Blessings Chidakwa-Municipal Reporter

Problems affecting Harare residents due to failed administration by the opposition-run local authority are now being addressed by Central Government, an official has said.

Speaking during a recent Harare province stakeholders’ consultative forum focusing on the economic development plan, Minister of State and Devolution Affairs Oliver Chidawu said a number of Government projects were in the pipeline to bail out the MDC-led capital city.

“Harare Metropolitan province has faced several challenges in the area of local governance as the quality of governance by our municipalities in towns and cities has deteriorated, thus seriously inconveniencing ratepayers and other stakeholders,” he said.

“The inability of local authorities to generate adequate revenue to finance their operations, rampant corruption and general maladministration has resulted in central Government intervening by providing funding in water supply chemicals, refreshment of Morton Jaffray water works, among other critical elements. Work is currently underway to rebuild governance systems in our municipalities. 

“Good governance is vital in order to attract capital and be rest assured that we are committed to instil the right value system in our councils.”

His remarks came after provincial development coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti said all provincial heads for Government ministries in Harare will now be housed in one building, a one-stop shop, as the Second Republic moves with pace to decentralise its structures.

“The provincial development committee is meeting today as a way of Government’s decentralisation of all provincial ministry heads and Government departments,” he said.

“We are discussing the paramount importance of being able to devolve as a province and start implementing structures which will feed into the economic development plan for the province. We are working with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to ensure that there is one big building that will house all provincial heads in Harare.” 

Mr Muguti said Government was geared to capacitate its provincial and district heads by availing them with the necessary tools of trade, including adequate vehicles, computers and internet in their offices. He said the fight against land barons was still ongoing until sanity is restored in the province.

“The fight is not over, we are still continuing to urge Harare Metropolitan province to desist from acquiring or selling land which has no title to them,” said Mr Muguti.

“We are now going into phase two of land baron fight, we will be implementing the Uchena Land Commission report which underpins a lot of irregular activities which were basically perpetuated by individuals who were masquerading as housing cooperatives.”