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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents’ Association (Camera) says it expects the newly elected councillors to perform better than their predecessors that failed to offer satisfactory service delivery.

The town has 25 councillors from from Zanu-PF and 21 from the MDC-Alliance that are expected to assume their duties after President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration.

Camera director Mr Marvellous Khumalo said they expect equal access to service delivery, economic opportunities and non-politicisation of social services.

“It is our hope that the new councillors will ensure the delivery of basic services such as clean and potable water, health care and refuse collection.

“We also expect equal access to economic opportunities such as land, vending spaces and affordable housing among other things,” he said.

Mr Khumalo castigated corruption that was practiced by some former councillors.

“This time around we expect zero tolerance to corruption by council and social- related services should never to be politicised. The outgoing councillors failed to deliver to the expectations of residents and it is our hope that this time around the new crop will endeavour to deliver,” he said.

Mr Khumalo also lamented the calibre of mayors that have been running the council for lacking capacity.

“It is quite unfortunate that here in Chitungwiza we did not have the calibre of people like outgoing Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni who was vocal. Most of them lack capacity to be mayors and have an inferiority complex, which resulted in them playing second fiddle to the town clerk and his team.

“We hope this time around we will have a competitive mayor,” he said.

He also urged central Government will not to unduly interfere with local authorities’ mandate and urged the legislators to play their part in ensuring that the 2013 Constitution is fully implemented.

Some of the past councillors were once suspended by Government over allegations of parcelling out stands to each other but were later acquitted by a tribunal.

Mayor Phillip Mutoti was suspended after he was convicted of criminal abuse of office by a local court in January this year.

He had allocated a residential stand to his three-year-old son.