via Call for Harare mayor to step down – New Zimbabwe 20/01/2015
THE splinter MDC led by Sekai Holland on Tuesday said Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni should resign for what the party said was failure to provide “sound leadership”.
MDC-Renewal Team accused Manyenyeni of failing to run the city effectively because of a number of “reasons” and “excuses” that include the insubordination of council employees and interference by local government Minister, Ignatius Chombo.
But the party said while it was aware that Chombo continues to “throw spanners in the works” in all the country’s local authorities the mayor should still “do the right thing and resign”.
“The MDC Renewal Team notes with serious concern the failure by Harare mayor, Councillor Ben Manyenyeni in providing sound leadership, a situation which has seriously impacted on the delivery of better services in the city and we call on him to take full responsibility as the bark stops with him,” a statement from the party said.
“The mayor is quoted in the media, today, lamenting that the council has gone on a lavish spending spree in order to acquire more soccer players for Harare City Football Club, for the coming 2015 Premier Soccer season and he had no powers to stop the acquisitions yet he is the patron of the club,” the party said.
“It is clear from his statements that Manyenyeni is admitting that he is not in charge and he is only hanging on to the job in order to enjoy the numerous extravagant perks that are awarded to senior local council officials at the expense of better and improved service delivery.”
Added the statement; “Potholes, uncollected garbage, serious water cuts, absence of street lights and flooding have become the order of the day, yet senior council managers are receiving huge salaries while general workers languish in poverty.
“As a pro-poor party, The Renewal Team believes that the council has failed the residents and ratepayers who are struggling to make ends meet and Manyenyeni must take full responsibility for the mess we are in.”
The group said Manyenyeni should follow in the footsteps of former finance committee chairperson Norman Markham who resigned over the non-disclosure of executive salaries, general unaccountability and lack of control of the council finances.
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