via Chombo, Manyenyeni sued over Hre rot – NewZimbabwe 03 February 2015
AS anger festers nationwide over the government’s failure to honour its social delivery obligations, an opposition party has indicated that it is finalising a lawsuit against Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni and Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo over the mess in the capital.
MDC-Renewal’s spokesperson Jacob Mafume, on Tuesday told NewZimbabwe.com that they would take Manyenyeni and Chombo to court over what he described as “dereliction of duty”.
“While it has become fashionable to blame Zanu PF, and in particular Chombo, for the rot in local authorities, Zimbabweans need to understand that even in those areas where our colleagues in the opposition are in charge there has not been much movement in terms of service delivery,” said the opposition party’s local government secretary Benison Ntini.
“Manyenyeni has done nothing to alleviate the suffering of residents in Harare and continues to fret with nothing to show for it.
“We will approach the courts to seek a provisional order to force council as well as government to deliver on their constitutional obligations.”
Ntini cited the government’s failure to deliver on its promise to cap the salaries of parastatal and local authority executives following the explosion of what became known as the Salary-gate scandal last year.
“Government announced in March last year that it would enforce a cap on top management salaries at local authorities,” said Ntini.
“They have failed to live by their word and Tendai Mahachi (Harare Town Clerk) is still taking home over $23,600 as salary. We cannot have people being paid for doing nothing. Just sitting there and taking money from people.”
The Renewal group said it was also going to challenge the move by Harare and the country’s second biggest city Bulawayo to impose pre-paid water meters.
“Water is a human right and Zimbabwe is a signatory to many conventions regarding this,” Ntini explained.
“If they are going to force through the instalment of pre-paid meters then poor people will not be able to access this very important resource that is also a right to the rest of humanity.
“They need to be stopped and we have an obligation to Zimbabweans to protect them.
“Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T leader) has been going about postulating as a saviour but he has not questioned why Harare is sending debt collectors to residents for non-existent service.
“There is no water but he has the temerity to confront nurses who are trying to do their work.”
Harare’s infrastructure has deteriorated to unprecedented levels, forcing youths linked to the Renewal group in the capital to embark on “waste dumping demonstrations against council” as raw sewer flows into homes.
Two weeks ago Tsvangirai visited some suburbs in Harare to “get an appreciation of the situation on the ground”.
During one such visit he reportedly confronted a nurse in an informal settlement and accused her of refusing to treat his party supporters.
COMMENTS
i sincerely hope that the MDC Renewal has a plan beyond suing the city authorities. there are many challenges to the authorities that lie unresolved in the courts.
to date the challenges to the election of 35 Zanu PF MPs in the 2000 elections are still awaiting the judicial appeal process etc..
MDC renewal will only renew the zimbabwe situation if they can find innovative ways to mobilise the masses to challenge the rulers. rates boycotts, boycotts of national events, picketing the ZEC offices, strikes, sit-ins in Africa Unity Square etc..
going the the courts — zanu pf gave all the judges farms, such that it has now become a condition of service for the judiciary… salary plus free farm !! so a fair judgement is unlikely and these cases will be delayed for ever anyway.