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Prince Mukuna Herald Reporter
THE Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has urged the newly-elected mayor and councillors to focus on improving water delivery, refuse collection and dealing with vendors and traffic congestion in the central business district (CBD).

The previous crop of councillors failed to deliver basic services to residents and were reluctant to fight on the side of ratepayers.

HRT director Mr Precious Shumba said the new crop of councillors should engage residents and ratepayers to improve services.

“The council has to involve the residents and ratepayers in the production of their 2019 annual budget, otherwise it will be the same old story of residents rejecting it and not fully supporting its implementation, thus hindering service provision,” he said.

“The City of Harare has to review its budget making processes to ensure that the residents and ratepayers fully contribute to the annual budget, rather than for this important task to be left to the council management and councillors, who then present an already decided budget for public endorsement through budget consultative meetings.”

Mr Shumba said residents were also demanding an end to the massive corruption in the sale of council land in high and low density areas, amid indications that councillors were at the forefront of converting land designated for schools, clinics and recreational facilities into residential stands.

“In suburbs like Glen Norah, Budiriro, Kuwadzana, Tynwald, Hatfield and Waterfalls, wetlands and open spaces planned for school grounds and recreational facilities and clinics have been turned into residential areas. That should stop,” he said.

Newly-elected Harare mayor Clr Herbert Gomba said Government and the city council should work together with all relevant stakeholders so that Harare ticks again and achieves World Class City Status by 2025.