PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe for the second year running
yesterday snubbed a luncheon hosted by Local Government minister Saviour
Kasukuwere and sent his deputy, Phelekezela Mphoko, who said nothing at the
event.
Before last year, Mugabe used to address the luncheon to
mark the official opening of Parliament, but in the past two years he has opted
to stay away from the function.
Last year, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mphoko had
to make a brief appearance before they left the venue for the airport where
they were seeing off Mugabe, who was flying to Malaysia on government business
soon after officially opening Parliament.
Mphoko was yesterday without his counterpart Mnangagwa at
the top table. He was accompanied by Kasukuwere and Harare Metropolitan
Province minister Miriam Chikukwa, among other senior government officials.
The VP said nothing as he stood only to propose a toast to
the delegates so that they could enjoy their lunch.
In his address at the luncheon, Kasukuwere said the
collapse of Chitungwiza Town Council, which has seen property attached over
unpaid debts and the absence of service delivery, was a result of unabated
corruption and maladministration.
“Chitungwiza has collapsed due to rampant corruption and
maladministration which in essence might be an indicator of what the sector is
going through. The whole system requires a complete overhaul in order to
restore efficient service delivery,” Kasukuwere said.
The dormitory town’s municipality faces paralysis after its
offices were emptied by creditors and its workers have gone for than 17 months
without pay.
Kasukuwere also said government had engaged Brazilian and
Chinese companies to provide a mass bus system as it moves to push out kombis
in the public transport sector.
“On urban traffic congestion, chaos has been and continues
to be the order of the day in the capital mainly caused by small operators
including kombis and small pirates taxis, the so-called ‘mushikashika’,”
Kasukuwere said.
“Given the untenable situation, my ministry has engaged bus
suppliers from Brazil and China with a view of introducing a mass bus system.
The introduction of the mass bus system will gradually and naturally displace
the current para-transit system.”
The Local Government minister also said government was
contemplating introducing high-rising housing projects as a way of utilising
the finite land available for urban development.
“Given the fact that land is a finite resource, the ministry
has since adopted the densification approach to human settlement development in
line with your call, Your Excellency.
“This entails vertical expansion by way of constructing
walk-up flats to maximise on the available land and reduce the costs associated
with offsite infrastructure development,” Kasukuwere said. Newsday
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