Never follow your predecessors’ foot prints- councilors warned

Zwnews Chief Correspondent

The just sworn in, Harare councilors have been warned not to engage in corruption, as their predecessors’ were alleged to have been.

The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has said the new brand of councilors should not follow the precedence set my their fore-runners.

In a statement in the possession of this publication, HRT said that the councilors should work for the people, as per their campaign promises, and not to use the public offices for selfish gains.

The previous councilors used to be at loggerheads with residents for making unfamiliar decisions, such as parceling out of protected land like wetlands, amid reports of corruption.

In 2017, minutes from one of the council’s audit committee meeting alleged that there had been massive underhand dealings in its procurement board. The committee blamed Town House management for disregarding its recommendations.

Most councilors from the previous local government administration made headlines for wrong reasons. According to The RT most recent, just before elections there had been reports that some councilors were buying groceries for residents as they tried to seek favours to be voted back into office.

Meanwhile, the call by the HRT come at the time MDC-Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has offered a strong warning to urban councils against engaging in corrupt acts.

Chamisa whose party controls most urban councils says he won’t tolerate corrupt tendencies among his councilors.

Addressing one of his ‘thank you’ rallies recently, he said any councilor who will be caught on the wrong side of the law, as far as corruption is concerned will be dismissed on the spot.