Opinion / Columnist
Constructive criticism needed for the Local Government Bill
15 Jun 2016 at 14:52hrs | Views
The adoption of the new constitution in 2013 inundated the constitutional court with incompatible laws with the supreme law occasioning the need to re-align our laws. This has been a slow process but there has been some movement on that front. The Ministry of Local Government has also made some progress by coming up with the Local Government Laws Amendment Bill that seeks to re-align the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13] and the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15] with section 278(2) and (3) of the Constitution which spells out "the establishment of an independent tribunal to exercise the function of removing from office mayors, chairpersons and councillors…".
With the shenanigans that has been happening at the Town House, it is easy to conclude that the Government seeks to redress the cataclysm that has characterised local authorities around the country not only in Harare, where ratepayers have gotten the raw deal from councillors that they have elected into office.
It is a shame that some elements in our society have already condemned the Bill dubbing it the "Manyenyeni bill" thus, insinuating that it was crafted to deal with the Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni who was suspended by Minister Kasukuwere of insubordination in the contentious appointment of the town clerk James Makore, which has been disrupting council business since it started with no end in sight.
An undeniable fact is; laws live beyond individuals and their scope is for generations and generations to come. To then suppose that the Bill is trying to fix certain individuals is faulty reasoning and will only serve to blind us from the benefits that might be accrued by such a law. Knives have already been sharpened with some already condemning the Bill as they are misguidedly viewing it as the minister's way of preserving his powers which has been stripped in the new constitution. This bill does not serve Minister Saviour Kasukuwere but the rate payers of Zimbabwe from unscrupulous local authority individuals who to date have nothing to show for but poor service delivery. The bill if ever it requires adjustments as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government has embarked on public hearings across the country, it should be on merit and not to dismiss it because it has been proposed by a ZANU PF government that some might not see eye to eye with.
Some have blasted the appointment of the independent tribunal as spelled out in the Bill as partisan since it will be appointed by the minister. But unless one is missing something the list of appointee to this tribunal "shall be nominated by the Judicial Service Commission" which in itself guarantees non-partisanship.
We need constructive criticism if ever we are going to move forward as a nation, which seem to be our Achilles heel as many Zimbabweans become experts of criticism of anything government without proffering alternative solutions. As public hearings for the Bill are being conducted the people of Zimbabwe have a say in the Bill and positive criticism that seeks to enhance the Bill is most welcomed. However, Zimbabweans should not to be influenced by people who are bent on causing confusion by their perpetual anti-government rhetoric.
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Tapiwa Maware - tmaware28@gmail.com
With the shenanigans that has been happening at the Town House, it is easy to conclude that the Government seeks to redress the cataclysm that has characterised local authorities around the country not only in Harare, where ratepayers have gotten the raw deal from councillors that they have elected into office.
It is a shame that some elements in our society have already condemned the Bill dubbing it the "Manyenyeni bill" thus, insinuating that it was crafted to deal with the Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni who was suspended by Minister Kasukuwere of insubordination in the contentious appointment of the town clerk James Makore, which has been disrupting council business since it started with no end in sight.
Some have blasted the appointment of the independent tribunal as spelled out in the Bill as partisan since it will be appointed by the minister. But unless one is missing something the list of appointee to this tribunal "shall be nominated by the Judicial Service Commission" which in itself guarantees non-partisanship.
We need constructive criticism if ever we are going to move forward as a nation, which seem to be our Achilles heel as many Zimbabweans become experts of criticism of anything government without proffering alternative solutions. As public hearings for the Bill are being conducted the people of Zimbabwe have a say in the Bill and positive criticism that seeks to enhance the Bill is most welcomed. However, Zimbabweans should not to be influenced by people who are bent on causing confusion by their perpetual anti-government rhetoric.
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Tapiwa Maware - tmaware28@gmail.com
Source - Tapiwa Maware
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