CCC admits failure to deliver services in urban cities

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Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary General Chalton Hwende has urged councillors to stop blaming the central government for their failure to do simple things like instituting refuse collection.

The CCC, formerly MDC Alliance, controls most of the urban cities in Zimbabwe. Because of that, the party has been accused of poor service delivery in its constituencies evidenced by uncollected refuse, water woes and poor health, roads, and infrastructure in Harare, Gweru, Bulawayo and other big cities.

The opposition, however, blames interference of the central government in its day to day running of the local authorities.

Local Government Minister July Moyo recently has been suspending Mayors in Harare and Chitungwiza, a move viewed by CCC as meant to cripple the council.

Speaking last night on Twitter Spaces hosted by prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono titled “In Conversation with CCC Secretary General, Chalton Hwende #CCCElections, Hwende admitted to the failure of some of the party officials in local authorities.

He claimed that where a councillor is failing to organise refuse collection, he or she must “be honest with citizens and resign”.

“We are all aware of the interference of the central government but my contribution is that there are things that councillors must be able to do. Because I doubt that the provision of diesel to refuse collection trucks can’t be blamed on the minister,” Hwende said.

“We need to be honest with citizens. Where we are falling short, we must come out in the open. If you’re a councillor. You have got majority councillors, a Mayor, you must at least be able to pass on a requisition for people to buy diesel to go and collect refuse in the communities.

“Our people are getting sick. I know we are in a struggle but there are some little things that we can do.”

The aspiring Member of Parliament for Kuwadzana East acknowledged a situation where the council may fail to operate because funds would have been held by the government through its parastatals or departments.

He said: “For example if you can’t do these things then you ought to be honest with citizens and resign. You can’t construct roads because money is in ZINARA (Zimbabwe National Roads Authority) that we understand.

“You can’t build dams, we understand. But budgets like the recent one that increases rates with 400% are passed by the same councillor. Why do you pass a budget for 400% when you can’t do simple things?

“Why should citizens pay for water where it is not coming? So these are the same things that we want to correct in CCC.”

CCC national deputy spokesperson Gift “Ostallos” Siziba said councillors needed to be strict on not allowing the central government to dictate their operations.

“We have to have a leadership that is prepared to stick to the wishes and aspirations of the people. Even if it costs us,” the youthful leader said.

“It can’t be business as usual that the central government has to dictate everything that happens in local government. Our council must be very clear to say that, look this is our jurisdiction.

“This is our mandate because at times the regime throws those trappings to the local leadership so that people find themselves in the mess that has haunted and held our country at ransom.

“It’s about clarity of thought in terms of executing the task as per the aspirations and the wishes of ordinary people who in our belief must be centre in terms of driving the political programme of our organisation and the country.”

–Nehanda Radio