Lovemore Lubinda
The Harare local authority which is currently struggling in offering efficient service delivery to its inhabitants has been condemned by Glen View residents for trying to sabotage a cleaning campaign by a local and fellow opposition political party.
The residents are angered by the local authority when it went ahead to clean the section that Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) a Christian based political party had applied to clean. The residents who spoke to this paper said it was unprofessional for the city to try and outdo complementary efforts by other partners especially when it is facing serious service delivery challenges.
Jimmy Dombo, a resident had this to say; “When politics of the day is greater than the will to serve, the people will suffer. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) city fathers should have taken it as a good effort by a fellow opposition party, but, because they took it as competition, they send cleaning trucks ahead in the same route that TZ had proposed to cleanup.
“Where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise. I have seen that when politics is at play any complementing effort by others is deemed competition,” he said.
He added that the town council has been unable to offer efficient waste management, which they attribute to lack of resources.
Another resident, Natsai Jenah concurs that the city fathers should have taken the proposal to clean by fellow opposition on good faith, and avoid acting exactly like the party they are all claiming to be fighting against.
“Service delivery issues mainly health related should be prioritised ahead of political mileage. This syndrome should be done away with as it is retrogressive, if you cannot do the job, then let those who can help.
“In fact all opposition should work together for the common good so that the electorate can differentiate them with the ruling party,” she says.
Commenting on the matter TZ head of communications, Sungai Mazango also rapped the move by the local authority and said he would have loved to see other opposition parties joining their campaign so that the people can be able to separate the sheep from the goats.
“Imagine MDC and TZ members engaging in a city cleanup campaign, it could have been wonderful, and have sent good message in the political discourse of the country,” he said.
Mazango also took the chance to challenge the media to not report in a way that only give prominence to the problems faced alone, but to report in a way that try to offer solutions to the challenges being reported on.
TZ also implored political leaders to stop blaming one another and start acting on matters that affect citizens.
The cleanup by the political party came at a time the city had recorded cases of typhoid, a diarrhoeal disease, which claimed two lives in the high density suburb of Mbare. The party said it was going to carry out cleanup campaigns in other areas of the city that include Ruwa, Mabvuku, Tafara, and others.
Meanwhile, City of Harare has been on record emphasising that the city welcomes anyone who seek to partner the authority on service delivery. Most recently, reports were that it has secured developmental partners for the rehabilitation of its roads.
