The MDC-T dominated Harare City Council has resolved to support first lady Auxilia Mnangagwa’s projects amid accusations that the Douglas Mwonzora-led outfit is abusing the local authority’s resources for political expediency.
A full council meeting last Tuesday endorsed a resolution
of the education, health and housing committee of July 29, 2021 that paved the
way for partnerships between the first lady and council.
The resolution said the City of Harare was already involved
in Mnangagwa’s projects that included “(i) Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba and Nharirire
Yemusha.”
Council said partnering the first lady was part of its
corporate social responsibility programme.
“That council approves in retrospect, the participation of
council officials and further authorises participation in the forthcoming
programmes being organised by the office of the first lady,” reads the minutes.
In justifying the council’s involvement, acting town clerk
Mabhena Moyo said since 2004, the City of Harare used to work with various
departments in among other things, removing children from the streets and
placing them in the various homes with the hope of reuniting them with their
families or relatives.
Moyo said Harare was supporting the first lady in the
removal of street kids from the streets in the city to Chambuta Refugee Camp on
the outskirts of Chiredzi.
Harare, the report said, will be open to future participation in philanthropic work by
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife.
But the MDC Alliance said it was inappropriate for local
authorities to use ratepayers’ money to support private initiatives by the
first lady.
“We know she is working on a programme to do with street
kids and using councils and mayors to pay for those services.
“We are against that. It is inappropriate and abuse of
funds meant for service delivery at a time it is at its all-time low,” MDC
Alliance secretary for local government Sessel Zvidzai said.
“Councils never budgeted to assist the first lady to do her
job.
“At worst they should be getting the money from the Social
Welfare ministry not to compromise services through those unnecessary costs.
“It is irresponsible and unnecessary and I think the people
should just refuse to fund such activities away from their local authorities.
It is unfair and it is bad.
“MDC Alliance councillors would not have allowed the
inappropriate deployment of the people’s resources so the recalls are a
choreograph to enable Zanu PF to, without any checks or balances, enjoy more
and more free space for corruption without anybody questioning.
“You can see that happening everywhere. Infrastructure is
being done by connected people linked to the regime, roads the same is
happening.”
Mwonzora’s party has recalled most of the councillors that
support the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance in Harare.
Only three councillors, including suspended mayor Jacob
Mafume, belong to the MDC Alliance. Standard
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