News / Local
Harare councillors boycott meeting in protest over Manyenyeni second suspension
09 Jun 2016 at 06:48hrs | Views
Harare City Councillors on Tuesday reportedly boycotted a meeting in what is believed to be a protest in soliderity with the secondly suspended Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni.
HRT reported that Councillors who met at the chambers failed to make a quorum resulting in the postponement of the Full Council meeting to next week on a date to be advised.
HRT claimed the snub of the Full Council meeting followed the suspension, within 24 hours after being reinstated of Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni, the Mayor of Harare on allegations that he had failed to order an audit of Municipal Business Units.
"This especially referred to EasiPark and City Park where reports abound of massive corruption involving councillors and officials, with no revenue going into the coffers of the City of Harare, yet Councillors sit on the Boards of these entities, and take home huge amounts of money in allowances and other rich pickings," said HRT.
"Our position as the HRT is that while there are ongoing disputes, Councillors, Municipal Officials and Local Government Ministry have to take a very responsible position on issues and avoid escalating the dispute to extremes because we in the HRT foresee the closure of the democratic space which we currently enjoy as community based organizations if the worsts comes to the worst."
The trust said of course at this stage, the emotions are very high and every one wants to be felt, and to be seen to be taking hard-line stances, but the ultimate loser is the resident.
"Councillors, a lot of them are already benefiting from cash and material benefits through the different council businesses where they are board members. Yet a lot of them are reluctant to hold feedback meetings with communities as required in terms of the Council's Stakeholders Policy," said HRT.
HRT reported that Councillors who met at the chambers failed to make a quorum resulting in the postponement of the Full Council meeting to next week on a date to be advised.
HRT claimed the snub of the Full Council meeting followed the suspension, within 24 hours after being reinstated of Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni, the Mayor of Harare on allegations that he had failed to order an audit of Municipal Business Units.
"This especially referred to EasiPark and City Park where reports abound of massive corruption involving councillors and officials, with no revenue going into the coffers of the City of Harare, yet Councillors sit on the Boards of these entities, and take home huge amounts of money in allowances and other rich pickings," said HRT.
"Our position as the HRT is that while there are ongoing disputes, Councillors, Municipal Officials and Local Government Ministry have to take a very responsible position on issues and avoid escalating the dispute to extremes because we in the HRT foresee the closure of the democratic space which we currently enjoy as community based organizations if the worsts comes to the worst."
The trust said of course at this stage, the emotions are very high and every one wants to be felt, and to be seen to be taking hard-line stances, but the ultimate loser is the resident.
"Councillors, a lot of them are already benefiting from cash and material benefits through the different council businesses where they are board members. Yet a lot of them are reluctant to hold feedback meetings with communities as required in terms of the Council's Stakeholders Policy," said HRT.
Source - Byo24News
