News / Press Release
Gwanda residents' position on the proposed Local Government Amendment Bill 2016
14 Jun 2016 at 11:12hrs | Views
Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo
Gwanda Residents Association being a legal representative of the residents of Gwanda here by joins the majority of Zimbabwean residents and indeed parliamentarians across political divides to condemn the proposed Local Government Amendments Bill as presented to Parliament by the Ministry of Local Government and currently going through public consultations.
As residents of Gwanda we are particularly not happy with the attitude behind the production of the proposed amendments which is nothing more than using our country's local government spaces to fight political wars between political parties in the determination of who should run the country's two major cities of Harare and Bulawayo.
As residents of the so called small towns that are continuously disregarded in the formulation of local government policies we can not on this matter yet again agree to be the grass that suffers when two elephants engage.
Zimbabweans and indeed us the residents of Gwanda overwhelmingly voted for a new constitution three years ago on the motivation that the new constitution was to give us an opportunity to decide how we want to be governed in our localities and more importantly by who.
We therefore view the proposed amendments which give the Minister sweeping powers to decide who should run our local authorities and how totally against the spirit of the constitution we voted for.
It is there of with all certainty that we can state that we would not have so overwhelmingly voted for the new dispensation had it not been of the appetising provisions of Chapter 14 that guarantee us self determination and immunity on us catching a cold every time Harare sneezes.
It is therefore in that regard that we can not find ourselves sitting aside endorsing the deliberate manipulation of our country's statutes to suit fights targeted at individuals who have their own political wars to fight.
We are also disturbed with the inconsistencies that are being exhibited by the Local Government Ministry regards the aligning of the local government statutes to the constitution.
Former Minister Honourable Ignatius Chombo had gone to an extent pushing his own Devolution Bill which as residents bodies and citizens were in the process of challenging, mid way through without conclusion, new Minister Honourable Saviour Kasukuwere is introducing the proposed amendments bill which does not at all make any reference to the previously proposed bill to an extent of the two contradicting each other.
This then leaves us residents who are the key stakeholders to the local government adminstration confused as to exactly what is happening in our local governance.
We therefore by means of this statement call upon our parliamentarians to move for the rejection of the proposed Local Government Bill.
We call on the parliamentarians to continuously push for the implementation of the devolution of power principles as provided for in Chapter 14 of the constitution and not allow to have the laws of the country to be crafted around individuals and personality clashes.
Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo
Secretary General
Gwanda Residents Association
gwandaresidentsassociation@gmail.com
As residents of Gwanda we are particularly not happy with the attitude behind the production of the proposed amendments which is nothing more than using our country's local government spaces to fight political wars between political parties in the determination of who should run the country's two major cities of Harare and Bulawayo.
As residents of the so called small towns that are continuously disregarded in the formulation of local government policies we can not on this matter yet again agree to be the grass that suffers when two elephants engage.
Zimbabweans and indeed us the residents of Gwanda overwhelmingly voted for a new constitution three years ago on the motivation that the new constitution was to give us an opportunity to decide how we want to be governed in our localities and more importantly by who.
We therefore view the proposed amendments which give the Minister sweeping powers to decide who should run our local authorities and how totally against the spirit of the constitution we voted for.
It is there of with all certainty that we can state that we would not have so overwhelmingly voted for the new dispensation had it not been of the appetising provisions of Chapter 14 that guarantee us self determination and immunity on us catching a cold every time Harare sneezes.
It is therefore in that regard that we can not find ourselves sitting aside endorsing the deliberate manipulation of our country's statutes to suit fights targeted at individuals who have their own political wars to fight.
We are also disturbed with the inconsistencies that are being exhibited by the Local Government Ministry regards the aligning of the local government statutes to the constitution.
Former Minister Honourable Ignatius Chombo had gone to an extent pushing his own Devolution Bill which as residents bodies and citizens were in the process of challenging, mid way through without conclusion, new Minister Honourable Saviour Kasukuwere is introducing the proposed amendments bill which does not at all make any reference to the previously proposed bill to an extent of the two contradicting each other.
This then leaves us residents who are the key stakeholders to the local government adminstration confused as to exactly what is happening in our local governance.
We therefore by means of this statement call upon our parliamentarians to move for the rejection of the proposed Local Government Bill.
We call on the parliamentarians to continuously push for the implementation of the devolution of power principles as provided for in Chapter 14 of the constitution and not allow to have the laws of the country to be crafted around individuals and personality clashes.
Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo
Secretary General
Gwanda Residents Association
gwandaresidentsassociation@gmail.com
Source - Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo
