by Shongedzai Mugwagwa
Harare City Council Mayor, Clr Herbert Gomba has made shocking proposals to the City Parking division to increase the Central Business District (CBD) parking fees by more than 100 percent, the Harare Post can exclusively reveal.
City Parking, which recently hiked their parking fees from $5 per hour to $10, is being advised by their council boss to further increase the fees to $21 per hour in the CBD.
Mayor Gomba torched a storm on Twitter as he proposed that his Council is expecting more dividends from City Parking so that they can be able to meet their obligations of resealing and refurbishing roads in the CBD.
“City parking must charge a fee that enables us to reconstruct CBD roads, the rate at $10RTGS is a reduction from the $1 USD people used to pay. The real charge must be $21RTGS and money must be used to revamp our CBD roads,” writes Gomba on his Twitter timeline.
Gomba further revealed that he had made a decision to borrow about $50 million for road construction which will be paid back using dividends coming from the parking division.
“I have directed the officers to borrow $50m RTGS to do CBD roads, we will repay with money from future dividends from City Parking,” he said.
Motorists have come out guns blazing directing their anger to Mayor Gomba for the proposal which they said was adding to the litany of challenges facing the motorists. Despite the increment, there is no sign of meaningful development done to the parking facility in town.
One motorist pointed to a revelation made by Mayor Gomba that City Parking is remitting over a million to council in dividends every month but there are no commensurate developments as robots and potholes in parking bays are not being attended to.
Below are some of the reactions to the Mayor’s comments;
“Mayor payakambogadzirwa road yacho muchi charger USD ndepapi and do you have to wait kusvika mawana $800m kuti mutange project musasvine vanhu nekungodawo henyu mari,” reacted one Nzou yekwaSamanyanga.
“But Mayor you have been charging a lot all along and parking bays are terrible, l can direct you to a few of the many that damage our cars daily even though we pay. e.g 5th street between Samora and Central Avenue only SUVs manage. 2ndst and Robert Mugabe, you park but curb is 2m high,” wrote one Jack Matons.
One Pearson, commented, “You always speak of improving roads when it comes to you justifying the price increase but once the increase has been effected, you never develop the roads acho.”
The development comes barely after Council increased clamping and towing fees in the CBD which Harare Trust Director, Precious Shumba reacted saying, “The City of Harare proposes to increase the fees for clamping and towing vehicles, while neglecting to address the issue of shortage of parking space in the central business district. Simply imposing punitive fines on errant drivers is not a sustainable solution.”
