Harare mayor Jacob Mafume says the local authority has changed leaders of its committees to address perennial service delivery problems amid power struggles in the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led council.
Mafume became the third CCC councillor to be elected mayor
since the August 2023 elections last month
following the move by the party’s self-imposed secretary general Sengezo
Tshabangu to recall Ian Makone and Lovejoy Chitengu.
On Friday, he chaired an explosive full council meeting
after some CCC councillors tried to oust him.
CCC’s ward 43
councillor Blessing Duma attempted to block the meeting with support from a few
of his party colleagues.
Duma was said to be unhappy about the move to remove him
from council’s influential audit committee.
Mafume said he had called for the special full council
meeting to address service delivery issues and to reconstitute some committees
after Tshabangu recalled a number of councillors.
“We had a special full council meeting at Town House,” he
told The Standard.
“We discussed issues around service delivery and refuse
collection. We changed some committees and reconstituted committees in light of
the recalls.
“Of course, we had a councillor who wanted to block the
special full council meeting because he was afraid of being removed from his
committee.
“We need to streamline and re-constitute the committees.”
The mayor said the water and health committees tabled
reports on the current water and cholera situation in the capital.
Duma described the special council meeting as illegal.
“This is politics that is happening at Harare City
Council,” he said.
“The mayor Jacob Mafume wanted to reconstitute committees
and you can only reconstitute committees if you have agreed in chambers or just
after a general election."
Harare Residents Ratepayers Trust director Precious Shumba
said Duma’s conduct was unbecoming.
“Councillor Blessing
Duma is a former employee of the City of Harare in the traffic enforcement,”
Shumba said.
“He allegedly committed serious offences, went to a hearing
and was discharged from council for his alleged acts of misconduct.
“He is the current chairperson of the audit committee, an
important committee that is supposed to be leading in establishing good
accountability systems in council.”
Combined Harare Residents Association spokesperson Reuben
Akili said there was need for stability at Town House.
“At this moment we
don’t require disruptions at Town House,” Akili said.
“In as much as these people have their own political fights
they work against service delivery.
“What we want is service delivery, it has been a worrying
trend to see these fights.” Standard
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