Opinion / Columnist
MDC devises new ways of milking Harare
26 Mar 2021 at 01:41hrs | Views
The chicken thief does not listen to the chicken's prayer! This adage clearly brings out life at Harare City Council's Town House where the MDC-Alliance led council officials seem to have devised new ways of bleeding the cash strapped local authority.
A crusade against graft by the Second Republic to clean the corruption mess at Town House, especially on land scams, seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the unrepentant opposition councillors working in cahoots with some corrupt council officials.
Last year, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission exposed council, which was funding MDC-Alliance using the traditional cash cows such as land sales.
This led to the arrest of a host of councillors on allegations of being involved in land scams. Two successive mayors Herbert Gomba and Jacob Mafume were caught up in the land scam. While some of the arrested officials are yet to know their fate in court, the city officials have already started devising new ways of milking ratepayers by exorbitantly hiking tariffs of basic services.
The first five cubic litres of water for a high-density suburb now cost $115 up from $20, $565 for a once-a-week bin collection up from $28, a sewer charge of $250 for each toilet up from $41 and a minimum property tax of $345 up from $56.
A family in a middle or low density suburb now pays $153 for five cubic litres of water up from $25, $803 for a weekly bin collection up from $42, and $375 for each toilet up from $91.
Harare City Council's tariffs for cemetery charges have also risen by more than 10-fold of the 2020 charges in some instances backdated to January 1, 2021. Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) director Mr Precious Shumba told The Herald that the charges were unsustainable as they would impoverish the already overburdened ratepayers.
"When we consider that the residents are mostly in the informal sector, and they have been severely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, it is going to be a nightmare for most ratepayers," he said.
Among other channels being used to drain Harare City Council is the current wanton bus ranking fees hike from US$10 to US$15, where councillors are seconding proxies to collect the money which may end up lining their pockets. The US$15 receipt issued is not automated, leaving room for abusing of the funds.
Surprisingly, the acting Harare mayor Stewart Mutizwa said there was nothing sinister about the increases.
"The increase is actually part of the approved budget," he said.
Other hiked fees are that of clamping and tow away which were increased by more than seven-fold, with a 15-seater commuter omnibus paying $4 559, up from $600, and an 18-seater $5 594 up from $700 despite the stability in the currency and economy over the past months.
Conventional buses and lorries are forking out $6 430, up from $800, and articulated heavy lorries $7 365 up from $900.
Despite the city having invested in the city parking system as it owns parkades and roads, parking remains a financial grey area from the days of Easipark and now its successor, City Parking, as there have been reports that some of the funds raised there do not reach council coffers.
Harare also raised quarterly rank parking discs for commuter omnibuses, taxis and driving schools.
What boggles the mind is that the increases always fail to translate to improved services as service delivery is in fact worsening by the day. Simple city by-laws are flouted daily while the authorities are just thinking of ways to bleed the beleaguered council.
Recently, an unruly resident planted maize at the heart of Harare's Central Business District (CBD) along First Street, in blatant disregard of city by-laws.
For Harare the best way is for ratepayers to simply vote the failed opposition councillors out as they have proved beyond doubt that they cannot be separated from ineptitude and corruption.
The ruling party, Zanu-PF, spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo recently urged businesses to have a heart, particularly at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has led to loss of lives while livelihoods have been disrupted.
"The revolutionary Zanu-PF party is concerned by the recent spike in the cost of goods and services, particularly basic commodities. Such a development has no grounding in basic economics. It is merely a manifestation of greed in some of our business entities," he said.
The ill-timing of the increases is also a cause for concern as ratepayers are yet to recover from the Covid-19 induced national lockdown.
Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) national chairman Mr Shalvar Chikomba said the timing was wrong, since Covid-19-induced restrictions to contain the coronavirus had affected people's earnings.
"Considering that economically things have not been well, because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, where people have been surviving on hand-outs, as residents, we feel that the timing was wrong on the part of the City of Harare to hike tariffs for basic services," said Mr Chikomba.
The MDC councillors' insensitivity and penchant for luxury was always evident even during their early days in office where they demanded Ipads, splashed millions on 'unnecessary' trips using hard earned ratepayers' money, while service delivery was on nose dive. Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation chairperson Mr Samson Nhanhanga also slammed the increase in ranking fees.
"The new fees announced by the council are problematic as we never agreed on them. No consultation was done with us as transporters. Last year our latest agreed position was US$10. As for us, we cannot hike fares as passengers are still reeling from the effects of the lockdown and are hard pressed," said Nhanhanga.
Surely if you forgive a fox for stealing your chickens, it will go after your sheep. Expecting a better Harare under the leadership of the MDC-Alliance is like asking the same question and expecting different results.
A crusade against graft by the Second Republic to clean the corruption mess at Town House, especially on land scams, seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the unrepentant opposition councillors working in cahoots with some corrupt council officials.
Last year, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission exposed council, which was funding MDC-Alliance using the traditional cash cows such as land sales.
This led to the arrest of a host of councillors on allegations of being involved in land scams. Two successive mayors Herbert Gomba and Jacob Mafume were caught up in the land scam. While some of the arrested officials are yet to know their fate in court, the city officials have already started devising new ways of milking ratepayers by exorbitantly hiking tariffs of basic services.
The first five cubic litres of water for a high-density suburb now cost $115 up from $20, $565 for a once-a-week bin collection up from $28, a sewer charge of $250 for each toilet up from $41 and a minimum property tax of $345 up from $56.
A family in a middle or low density suburb now pays $153 for five cubic litres of water up from $25, $803 for a weekly bin collection up from $42, and $375 for each toilet up from $91.
Harare City Council's tariffs for cemetery charges have also risen by more than 10-fold of the 2020 charges in some instances backdated to January 1, 2021. Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) director Mr Precious Shumba told The Herald that the charges were unsustainable as they would impoverish the already overburdened ratepayers.
"When we consider that the residents are mostly in the informal sector, and they have been severely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, it is going to be a nightmare for most ratepayers," he said.
Among other channels being used to drain Harare City Council is the current wanton bus ranking fees hike from US$10 to US$15, where councillors are seconding proxies to collect the money which may end up lining their pockets. The US$15 receipt issued is not automated, leaving room for abusing of the funds.
Surprisingly, the acting Harare mayor Stewart Mutizwa said there was nothing sinister about the increases.
"The increase is actually part of the approved budget," he said.
Other hiked fees are that of clamping and tow away which were increased by more than seven-fold, with a 15-seater commuter omnibus paying $4 559, up from $600, and an 18-seater $5 594 up from $700 despite the stability in the currency and economy over the past months.
Conventional buses and lorries are forking out $6 430, up from $800, and articulated heavy lorries $7 365 up from $900.
Despite the city having invested in the city parking system as it owns parkades and roads, parking remains a financial grey area from the days of Easipark and now its successor, City Parking, as there have been reports that some of the funds raised there do not reach council coffers.
Harare also raised quarterly rank parking discs for commuter omnibuses, taxis and driving schools.
What boggles the mind is that the increases always fail to translate to improved services as service delivery is in fact worsening by the day. Simple city by-laws are flouted daily while the authorities are just thinking of ways to bleed the beleaguered council.
Recently, an unruly resident planted maize at the heart of Harare's Central Business District (CBD) along First Street, in blatant disregard of city by-laws.
For Harare the best way is for ratepayers to simply vote the failed opposition councillors out as they have proved beyond doubt that they cannot be separated from ineptitude and corruption.
The ruling party, Zanu-PF, spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo recently urged businesses to have a heart, particularly at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has led to loss of lives while livelihoods have been disrupted.
"The revolutionary Zanu-PF party is concerned by the recent spike in the cost of goods and services, particularly basic commodities. Such a development has no grounding in basic economics. It is merely a manifestation of greed in some of our business entities," he said.
The ill-timing of the increases is also a cause for concern as ratepayers are yet to recover from the Covid-19 induced national lockdown.
Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) national chairman Mr Shalvar Chikomba said the timing was wrong, since Covid-19-induced restrictions to contain the coronavirus had affected people's earnings.
"Considering that economically things have not been well, because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, where people have been surviving on hand-outs, as residents, we feel that the timing was wrong on the part of the City of Harare to hike tariffs for basic services," said Mr Chikomba.
The MDC councillors' insensitivity and penchant for luxury was always evident even during their early days in office where they demanded Ipads, splashed millions on 'unnecessary' trips using hard earned ratepayers' money, while service delivery was on nose dive. Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation chairperson Mr Samson Nhanhanga also slammed the increase in ranking fees.
"The new fees announced by the council are problematic as we never agreed on them. No consultation was done with us as transporters. Last year our latest agreed position was US$10. As for us, we cannot hike fares as passengers are still reeling from the effects of the lockdown and are hard pressed," said Nhanhanga.
Surely if you forgive a fox for stealing your chickens, it will go after your sheep. Expecting a better Harare under the leadership of the MDC-Alliance is like asking the same question and expecting different results.
Source - the herald
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