City of Harare Mayor Councillor Hebert Gomba has revived the capital’s ‘Vision 2025’ of attaining the world-class city status by the year 2025.
The ambition slowly faded during past Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni’s tenure, who went on to classify it as an illusion, owing to economic challenges as well as interference in local governance by the central government.
During his state of the city address in 2017, Manyenyeni said the vision was no longer attainable owing to various challenges that affected the city and the country at large.
However, Mayor Gomba says his council is still chasing the vision.
Councillor Gomba recently told the Zimsentinel Community Focus that the city is putting in place structures that would see it offer world class services to its residents. “One would be able to charge his or her phone while sitting at the Unity Square,” he said.
Apparently, Zimbabwe’s capital city is currently dogged by serious challenges, from water shortages, poor public infrastructure, such as roads and others social amenities, congestion, to electricity deficit. The city has not been spared by the deteriorating political and general macro-economic environment. These have in various instances made residents believe that the vision would not be achieved more so in a timeframe of six years from now.
Gomba believes the envisaged vision can be achieved, and says his council will not extend the timeframe for the vision from 2025 deadline, but will work hard to meet such a tight deadline.
Gomba’s sentiments come at a time his predecessor Manyenyeni had written the vision off citing various challenges.
In a ‘State of the City Address’ that took place at the Mayoral Mansion in Gunhill on 13 April 2017, Manyenyeni attributed the failure of vision 2025, not only predominantly to the sustained economic downturn, but also the counterproductive tension between council and central government.
“In a normal country the ministry responsible would be an enabler, a facilitator and a catalyst for the good things a council seeks to do, but that is not the case, and under the current conditions the city will get worse before it gets better,” said Manyenyeni then.
