Kasukuwere vows to clean-up Harare mess

HARARE – Newly-appointed Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Saviour Kasukuwere has vowed to end lawlessness in Harare and other local authorities saying he wants to see upholding of the law and good administration of both rural and urban areas.

Speaking to ZBC News in Harare yesterday on his new portfolio, Kasukuwere said if the city fathers, especially in Harare, do not clean up the mess brought about by vendors, he would clean up Town House.

Kasukuwere said his ministry will have a waiting list at the council offices where everybody who wants land to build will be allocated, adding that the current mess where land barons were extorting money from desperate home seekers is coming to an end.

The new minister said the chaos brought about by commuter omnibuses will end as they seek to re-introduce a bus service. He also said those allocated land on wetlands and recreational parks will be removed and allocated land elsewhere.

Commenting on the impasse between Harare town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi and Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni, Kasukuwere said he wants to see good administration of the city.

He said that the town clerk is an employee of council and that whatever is happening must not compromise the interests of the rate payers.

The Minister said it was wrong for the city fathers to dance to the whims of a political party that is encouraging lawlessness to the detriment of the rate payers.

Meanwhile Cllr Manyenyeni says the 15 sites allocated for relocation of illegal vendors who are selling on the city’s pavements is not enough but insists he is happy with the city’s progress.

Government had given illegal vendors until June 26 to move out of the streets and prepare to move to vending sites being constructed by council and box parks for small to medium enterprises to be constructed by Government.

Government says the implementation of its order now lies with the local authorities themselves.

The city has registered 7 424 vendors but it says there are about 20 000 illegal vendors operating on the streets.

The vendors have vowed to remain on the streets demanding the Zanu PF government should provide the jobs it promised in its 2013 election manifesto.

Promise Mkwananzi of the Zimbabwe Informal Traders’ Organisation said vendors would remain where they were until the government provided better alternatives.

“As we said it was business as usual,” he said.

“We only received complaints that Harare town clerk Tendai Mahachi was moving around with cards from council. We, as vendors are saying no to that. We want to engage councillors we elected as vendors, not the officials who are working with the government.”

In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina (clean up) destroyed the livelihoods of an estimated 700 000 people.

According to a government circular dated June 2 and signed by Local Government secretary George Mlilo, Cabinet made the decision to launch another clean-up campaign after noting the rapid increase in illegal vending, and sprouting of illegal urban and rural settlements.

“It has been noted that of late, many local authorities were not fulfilling their mandates in the areas of informal trading regulation and housing development,” part of Mlilo’s circular read.

“Cabinet has expressed concern over these issues and has directed interventions to resolve the current chaos prevailing.”