Chombo's ovation for comedy of errors
Zimbabwe Independent
02 January 2007
Comment by Vincent Kahiya

Last week Local Government minister Ignatious Chombo extended the tenure of the Sekesai Makwavarara-led Harare Commission on the pretext that it had started to improve service delivery in the capital. In extending its term indefinitely, Chombo heaped praise on the commission, saying it had managed to achieve some of the targets set by the government. This by any stretch of imagination, is dishonesty of the highest order and a slap in the face for Harare ratepayers who have over the years been forced to pay rates and charges which are not commensurate with the poor services rendered by the local authority. Chombo's summation that Makwavarara and her gang of underachievers at Townhouse are doing a splendid job underlines a very unfortunate aspect of governance in Zimbabwe.

Our rulers have lowered the bar to levels where a mere hop is equated to an Olympian's high jump. Excellence in service delivery has been subverted by a system of patronage in which the quest for political continuity has taken precedence. Under this practice, the country's aristocracy has employed huge resources in a propaganda onslaught to convince us that there are improvements all around us. But efficient service providers would love to get the kudos from the publics they serve. In the case of the Harare Commission, the compliments have only come from Chombo and, ridiculously, from themselves. In an environment where there have been more brickbats than compliments from ratepayers, Makwavarara had to scrounge for self-consolation - her commission has of late been able to pay salaries on time. That is what Makwavarara cited as an achievement in a television interview. Is this all she has to show for riding to work daily in a Mercedes Benz S320? Paying salaries has become a core business for the commission, and how embarrassing!

It is however important to remind Makwavarara that she is bragging about being able to pay a bloated workforce that has over the years been schooled by the dozy commission in the art of malingering and inefficiency. That they are being paid when their salaries are due does not make them conscientious workers as they labour under a system that is insensitive to public needs. What Makwavarara cites as an achievement was therefore as obvious as the nose on her face. She would not talk about the decaying infrastructure in the capital, especially the ever-failing street lighting along major roads. She would not mention streams of sewerage in Budiriro, Glen View and Kuwadzana. Noone expected her to discuss council's "efficiency" in dealing with refuse collection, filling potholes, repairing pavements and kerbs and maintaining neglected parks and open spaces. Government, as noted above, has come up with a different benchmark of determining achievement and success in local governance. This dubious standard is very different from public expectations and has resulted in the lowering of standards in the city.

The lower benchmarks are largely inspired by government's comical paradigm that seeks to bribe the nation's conscience that there is social and economic progress. We have all heard about the "success" of the land reform programme although the country has become a net importer of food. NEDPP has achieved "phenomenal success" but the country is still short of foreign currency and fuel. President Mugabe, who brags about his democratic credentials, does not allow the opposition and workers to exercise their democratic right to demonstrate on the streets. The nation is oftentimes implored to celebrate non-existent success and achievements. Our rulers have become desperate performers who ask their audiences to laugh or applaud at their dreary antics. And they have a whole media industry to lead the ovations. This is the really funny part of their performance: when they laugh or applaud their own on-stage feats. Makwavarara is fast learning the art of applauding her own comedy of errors. But, as any ratepayer will tell you, we have seen her act before and its hilarity is fast diminishing.