via Hre losing revenue to Zanu PF cartels New Zimbabwe 18/01/2015
HARARE City Council is losing nearly half a million a month in revenue collection from home industries that are controlled by ZANU PF youth cartels, according to a confidential report from the housing department.
Some few years back ZANU PF youths invaded and took over council properties, car parks, bus ranks, markets and open spaces meant for profitable projects.
The net result was that the MDC-T controlled council lost control of nearly all home industries in greater Harare as ZANU PF militias took over the manning and running of the cash generating projects.
The youths were led by the six member gang of the infamous Mbare-based Chipangano.
“The home industries, overnight guarded car parks and other open spaces for vending have remained in the hands of very few ZANU PF youths who are politically connected,” reads the report.
“The Corporate Services and Housing director further reported that council anticipated a revenue collection of $60 000 per month in the central business district and $500 655 per month from the district markets”.
“But the department was also faced with shortage of manpower and transport for field work operations on the markets and home industries to remove the ZANU PF youths”.
The report recommended that the City Council engage the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises, Youth Development and Empowerment Creation and create a new data base.
According to the report the old data base for the markets and home industries is inaccurate and inconsistent making it unreliable and unsustainable.
It also said “the revenue collected from the home industries and markets should be channelled towards the provision of markets set-ups and also engage Smart Partners for the development of markets and home industry”.
Last week the Harare Residents Trust said it had unearthed rampant corruption where informal traders have been allocated vending spaces in front of the shops at Machipisa Shopping Centre.
A report from the trust said vendors are being “charged US$40 every month by a group of youths aligned to Zanu PF, and every weekend they pay US$13 meaning at the end of the month they would need to pay a lot of money which is beyond the capacity of these vendors, yet for the sake of being at peace with the ‘owners’ of the vendors’ stalls they pay”.
“One of the groups that collect money from the vendors Batsiraivamwe Community Support Group has teams that move around the markets collecting the money towards the month end, and every week”.
“Reports indicate that previously the vendors paid their money to the City of Harare,” the trust said.
Last week the council fired former Harare province ZANU PF chairperson Jim Kunaka over allegations that he has been swindling the municipality about $4000 daily at Mbare musika bus terminus where he was illegally collecting money from buses using that rank.
COMMENTS
Does ZanuPF own us. Well we will see.
I really do not understand how the ministries of Small and Medium Enterprises and Youth, Indegenisation and Empowerment would fit in in trying to remedy this problem. The problem here is not facilitation that these 2 ministries would probably assist with. The problem is failure by Council to collect its revenue. They should approach haed on whoever put those people to illegally collect Council revenue. Council should immediately put a stop to this and if they face problems they should approach the police and as they go about all this they should keep stakeholders like the Combined Ratepayers Association informed. The problem with this MDC led council is that they are failing to whip into line their management led by Tendai Mahachi. If the Council unites with the residents of Harare they will succeed. A lot of people especially from the ruling party want to see the Council fail; it is high time Bernard Manyenyeni and team realise this!
Half a million dollars a month is not a small amount. This can go a long way in solving some of the problems Harare is facing. We need to be told by the Mayor who was elected by the people how he plans to remedy this. Time for playing is over!