News / National
MDC Renewal was not using City Sports Centre for free - Mafume
24 Aug 2015 at 15:47hrs | Views
The MDC Renewal Team spokesperson Jacob Mafume has said when his party booked the City Sports Centre for the Congress which was slated for August 21 and 22 it had paid to the Harare City Council despite other parties like Zanu PF usually using the centre for free.
"We all know the that our security sector is wired to serve the interests of the ruling party and no-one else but when you encounter it,it never seizes to shock. We had scheduled our congress for the 21st of August 2015," said Mafume. "We as is required by law notified the police of this on the 3rd of August 2015 .On the 4th of August we then paid seven thousand dollars one hundered and forty seven dollars to the City Council for the use of the City Sports Centre . We were aware of course that other parties use this venue for free namely ZANU PF and the MDC-T."
He said they however decided to pay in keeping with their sense of responsibility towards the city council, its workers and the residents .
"The workers have gone months with their salaries outstanding and when they get paid its for some months back .In short the city needs the revenue," he said. "We were given an electronic receipt and a manual receipt , this is critical as it shows that the money has gone to council and not some ghost worker.In addition we were then asked to fill in a booking form to show our bona-fides/genuineness for using the venue.We were assured by the city council that no-one was booked for the dates we required and that the only booking was on the Monday for a church called Heart Felt ministries.Having done all that is required of us at law ,we then proceeded to tell our members and the world."
Mafume said timetables were tweeked , expenses borne and the general preparations boarded an express train .
"We were all set or saw we thought .What happened next explains why the country and the councils are in economic shambles. After days of follow up for our letter to the police without joy , we were called to what is called JOC – Joint Operations Command –this on the eve of our congress . We went , Tendai Biti our Secretary General , B Ntini Our Treasuer General ,Last Maengahama the Organisor ," he said. "The meeting was scheduled at two o'clock in the afternoon on the 19th of August 2015 . We went on time , thinking deep in our hearts that two meant two, it didn't .The place is a nerve center of the Harare security apparatus ."
He said it has the feel of a flea market , with the vendors in uniform.
"Indeed for those who have gone there they will know that at times one has to haggle for justice as if you were at a flea market.We went up and down through the maze that is the colonial design of the police station . The place was designed with keeping people inside through a complex set of corridors which look alike and near impossible to familiarize in a short time . The place has an assortment of unpleasant smells as well," Mafume said.
"We found a helpful officer who volunteered to take us where we were being directed to .The officer kindly took us to the office of the Officer Commanding Harare.We were them ushered into a tiny office manned by an inter-changing group of officers of quiet but friendly disposition. We advised one of them that we had been summoned and he said very well, sit down .We sat and sat and sat .We then gently reminded the officer that we were sitting for a 2 o'clock /1400 hours meeting and that the time according to our smart phones was now 3 pm or 15 00 hours . He merely said to sit ,we would be called ."
He said after another 30minutes of pointless waiting and discussion on the labour act among ourselves, they were then ushered into the commanding officer ‘s office .A typical senior government office .
"A large desk where the man set on a large chair and of course a flat screen television perched on top of a corner cabinet box . In front of the desk was a line up of sofas and chairs facing each other. In the chairs sat a motley crew of what I can only confidently assume were security personnel from different organs and of varying degrees of seniority," he said. "Some were in military fatigues and some in plain clothes. I counted thirteen security personnel .We were asked to introduce ourselves , which we did .There was no apology for keeping us waiting nor did they introduce themselves .How can the state apologies to mere mortals ?"
Mafume said the man drove straight to the point . He said he indicated that he was holding in his hand permission he had given to the a church group for the same venue on Sunday .
"We then advised him that ,that was all very well , but we begged leave to show him the receipts and a letter from the council indicating we were the only ones booked for the venue . We indicated we would be able to accommodate the church if they needed the venue on Sunday as we would be done by morning anyway,"said Mafume. "This did not shake him one bit . One of the security personnel would be shifting and groaning in his seat during the conversation and interrupting intermittently every time we tried to protest. We were then advised to bring another letter from the council. We shuffled out of the commanding officer's JOC without an official response . We then went to the chamber secretary of council who is the acting town clerk . Another colonial style building with peeling paint , which used to be white ."
The spokesperson said the official vehicles surrounding the office are of course new and the latest models out of sync with the office .
"We found her there and to her credit she saw us quickly for an unannounced meeting. However tragically that is where her reliability ended. She assured us she would write the letter first thing in the morning the next day , which would be the 20th when there was still time to save the Congress," he said. "As the shona proverb has it we caught the cockerel ‘s mouth and we were at her office by eight the following day . There are no prizes for guessing she was not there.When she arrived , she was rushing off to see the minister for the whole day and that our letter would be done and signed if we could only be so kind to allow her to give the instructions by phone to her officers .Those were the famous last words as we never so her again ."
"We then decided to go back to the Harare Central police station if for nothing else to complete the pointless not so merry –go-round we were trapped in . At office of the police a letter was finally given to us officially announcing the ban . The letter having taken another good hour to produce , all the time we were being regaled with explanations on why the fault was not his but someone else's, never mind who," he added.
He said as they left the station armed with the letter, they could only muse that what they had gone through is precisely why the system needs renewal .
"A council which will give a venue to someone who has not paid a cent .The organization which has paid cash is denied use of the venue," he said . "A police force which does not care whether you lose money or the name of the police force and consequently nation is tarnished .The security sector strategy does not have ordinary people at heart but has the people as its target. I can only agree with the famous quote that in Zimbabwe ‘In this present crisis , government is not the solution to our problems ;government is the problem " both local and national government ."
"We all know the that our security sector is wired to serve the interests of the ruling party and no-one else but when you encounter it,it never seizes to shock. We had scheduled our congress for the 21st of August 2015," said Mafume. "We as is required by law notified the police of this on the 3rd of August 2015 .On the 4th of August we then paid seven thousand dollars one hundered and forty seven dollars to the City Council for the use of the City Sports Centre . We were aware of course that other parties use this venue for free namely ZANU PF and the MDC-T."
He said they however decided to pay in keeping with their sense of responsibility towards the city council, its workers and the residents .
"The workers have gone months with their salaries outstanding and when they get paid its for some months back .In short the city needs the revenue," he said. "We were given an electronic receipt and a manual receipt , this is critical as it shows that the money has gone to council and not some ghost worker.In addition we were then asked to fill in a booking form to show our bona-fides/genuineness for using the venue.We were assured by the city council that no-one was booked for the dates we required and that the only booking was on the Monday for a church called Heart Felt ministries.Having done all that is required of us at law ,we then proceeded to tell our members and the world."
Mafume said timetables were tweeked , expenses borne and the general preparations boarded an express train .
"We were all set or saw we thought .What happened next explains why the country and the councils are in economic shambles. After days of follow up for our letter to the police without joy , we were called to what is called JOC – Joint Operations Command –this on the eve of our congress . We went , Tendai Biti our Secretary General , B Ntini Our Treasuer General ,Last Maengahama the Organisor ," he said. "The meeting was scheduled at two o'clock in the afternoon on the 19th of August 2015 . We went on time , thinking deep in our hearts that two meant two, it didn't .The place is a nerve center of the Harare security apparatus ."
He said it has the feel of a flea market , with the vendors in uniform.
"Indeed for those who have gone there they will know that at times one has to haggle for justice as if you were at a flea market.We went up and down through the maze that is the colonial design of the police station . The place was designed with keeping people inside through a complex set of corridors which look alike and near impossible to familiarize in a short time . The place has an assortment of unpleasant smells as well," Mafume said.
"We found a helpful officer who volunteered to take us where we were being directed to .The officer kindly took us to the office of the Officer Commanding Harare.We were them ushered into a tiny office manned by an inter-changing group of officers of quiet but friendly disposition. We advised one of them that we had been summoned and he said very well, sit down .We sat and sat and sat .We then gently reminded the officer that we were sitting for a 2 o'clock /1400 hours meeting and that the time according to our smart phones was now 3 pm or 15 00 hours . He merely said to sit ,we would be called ."
"A large desk where the man set on a large chair and of course a flat screen television perched on top of a corner cabinet box . In front of the desk was a line up of sofas and chairs facing each other. In the chairs sat a motley crew of what I can only confidently assume were security personnel from different organs and of varying degrees of seniority," he said. "Some were in military fatigues and some in plain clothes. I counted thirteen security personnel .We were asked to introduce ourselves , which we did .There was no apology for keeping us waiting nor did they introduce themselves .How can the state apologies to mere mortals ?"
Mafume said the man drove straight to the point . He said he indicated that he was holding in his hand permission he had given to the a church group for the same venue on Sunday .
"We then advised him that ,that was all very well , but we begged leave to show him the receipts and a letter from the council indicating we were the only ones booked for the venue . We indicated we would be able to accommodate the church if they needed the venue on Sunday as we would be done by morning anyway,"said Mafume. "This did not shake him one bit . One of the security personnel would be shifting and groaning in his seat during the conversation and interrupting intermittently every time we tried to protest. We were then advised to bring another letter from the council. We shuffled out of the commanding officer's JOC without an official response . We then went to the chamber secretary of council who is the acting town clerk . Another colonial style building with peeling paint , which used to be white ."
The spokesperson said the official vehicles surrounding the office are of course new and the latest models out of sync with the office .
"We found her there and to her credit she saw us quickly for an unannounced meeting. However tragically that is where her reliability ended. She assured us she would write the letter first thing in the morning the next day , which would be the 20th when there was still time to save the Congress," he said. "As the shona proverb has it we caught the cockerel ‘s mouth and we were at her office by eight the following day . There are no prizes for guessing she was not there.When she arrived , she was rushing off to see the minister for the whole day and that our letter would be done and signed if we could only be so kind to allow her to give the instructions by phone to her officers .Those were the famous last words as we never so her again ."
"We then decided to go back to the Harare Central police station if for nothing else to complete the pointless not so merry –go-round we were trapped in . At office of the police a letter was finally given to us officially announcing the ban . The letter having taken another good hour to produce , all the time we were being regaled with explanations on why the fault was not his but someone else's, never mind who," he added.
He said as they left the station armed with the letter, they could only muse that what they had gone through is precisely why the system needs renewal .
"A council which will give a venue to someone who has not paid a cent .The organization which has paid cash is denied use of the venue," he said . "A police force which does not care whether you lose money or the name of the police force and consequently nation is tarnished .The security sector strategy does not have ordinary people at heart but has the people as its target. I can only agree with the famous quote that in Zimbabwe ‘In this present crisis , government is not the solution to our problems ;government is the problem " both local and national government ."
Source - Byo24News
