Nontando Magagula

CCC secretary general and Kuwadzana candidate for the 26 March by-election has exposed the hypocrisy of his party’s councillors in Harare City Council over the poor service delivery

in the capital. Speaking during a Twitter Spaces event hosted last Friday by journalist and CCC activist, Hopewell Chin’ono under the topic, “Conversation with CCC Secretary General Chalton Hwende,” Hwende exposed his party’s councillors in Harare and other urban areas for blaming Government for poor service delivery for which they were responsible.

“When it comes to refuse collection, I don't understand why councillors use the excuse that they have no diesel for the garbage trucks when they can raise a requisition to buy fuel? We can't blame the Minister (of Local Government and Public Works) for that. We must be honest,” Hwende said.

Hwende’s admission that CCC (formerly MDC Alliance) councillors had failed the residents exposed the party’s poor stewardship of Zimbabwe’s urban spaces.

One participant, Sidney Moyo attempted to exonerate the CCC councillors using the technicality that CCC, as a new party, could not be blamed for its poor performance during the time that the same entity was still known as MDC Alliance, but most participants would have none of it.

“I am sure right now CCC don't have councillors.  All councillors belong to MDC alliance and Zanu PF,” tweeted Moyo.

He was, however, embarrassed by the participation of CCC Ward 17 (Mount Pleasant) Councillor, Jacob Mafume in the same Spaces and Twitter comments.  Mafume is not only a CCC councillor in Harare City Council, but the mayor of the city as well.

Hwende also submitted that if councillors could not deliver on simple issues like refuse collection, they must resign and should not keep drawing allowances and other perks. This exposed councillors like Mafume who, since becoming mayor in September 2020, had failed to deliver blaming Government for alleged interference.

The Harare mayor exposed his party’s obsession with control and power at the expense of service delivery and falsely claiming that the Minister of Local Government and Public works, July Moyo micromanaged the councillors at the Harare City Council to the extent of requiring them to submit to him for authorisation the purchase of small items like toilet paper. Each time he is asked about the poor state of Harare’s roads he blames Government for moving the licensing of the vehicles of Harare residents from the City of Harare to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).

 “Where have we had an uninterrupted stay in Government? Even when we in the inclusive Government we never had control! Diamonds, security sector etc. ZANU PF has had 40 years in power. The Minister (of Local Government and Public Works) fires mayors every time and councillors. Tell us when we have been in power, really!” tweeted.

Mafume’s excuses, however, failed to get takers – not even among CCC supporters. A staunch CCC supporter and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, Massachusetts, in the USA, Dr Chipo Dendere differed with him. She refused to support the proffered excuses that Government interference and the recalls of councillors by the MDC-T were the reasons for the CCC councillors’ failure to deliver services to Harare residents.

 “The conversation was about city council. Hon, you’re not being honourable henyu. Also keep this up and this is how opposition loses more people because it sounds like deflection,” she tweeted.

Dr Dendere also shredded Mafume’s other excuses.

“But it’s simply untrue to say you’ve never been in Government. I have voted for multiple MDC people some who are now in CCC who’ve all won and (have) never been recalled. My MPs have been (Hatfield legislator, Tapiwa) Mashakada in the early 2000s, (former Harare West legislator, Jessie) Majome and now honourable Cecelia (sic),” tweeted in disagreement.

Hwende also admitted that CCC councillors were corrupt and this irked many participants as the opposition has been at the forefront of accusing Government officials of corruption without adducing any irrefutable evidence to support their claims.

“What disappointed me…was Hwende saying ‘in our previous party we used to tolerate a lot (of council corruption and incompetence) but we left that in MDC. We are now a new party,” tweeted a resident, Tanaka Zviripayi.