Mnangagwa spokesman urges State to take over the running of Harare

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba has urged the government to take over the running of the City of Harare claiming “infighting” in the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party was affecting service delivery.

Soon after the 2023 General Elections, self-declared CCC Interim Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu, with help from the State, recalled opposition mayor Ian Makone and other councillors, widely seen as aligned to party leader Nelson Chamisa.

Makone was then replaced by Lovejoy Chitengu, who was again recalled by Tshabangu, leading to the election of Jacob Mafume.

This week it was reported that Chamisa had fired Mafume and six other councillors accused of “scheming” with Tshabangu to cause chaos in the party.

Given the chaos they have sponsored, Mnangagwa’s regime is now gradually sowing the justification to take over the running of Harare.

Charamba has begun the ball rolling by writing on X that his boss, Mnangagwa must use “Presidential Powers” to take over Harare.

“With the paralysis which CCC infighting has wrought on (the) City of Harare, and given the raging cholera pandemic, it is about time Local Government Minister approached His Excellency the President with the proposal to use Presidential Powers to bring Harare Municipality under direct State administration.

“There is a good case now using the public health argument. The State is doing much of the work anyway!” Charamba added.

Part of the neglect he claims the City Fathers are guilty of includes failure to collect garbage, and to provide clean water to residents, which have given rise to a cholera outbreak in the city which has killed scores.

The government says it has had to step in and collect garbage, clean city environments, and drill boreholes to provide supplementary water to residents.