Fresh calls for Mayoral elections in Harare

By Tichaona Sibanda
5 March 2007

THE Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) is demanding that elections be held soon in the capital, to choose a new mayor and councillors. This follows a High court ruling last week Friday declaring the commission running Harare as illegal.

The ruling came after an application by dismissed former town clerk Nomutsa Chideya challenging the legality of the Sekesai Makwavarara led commission. Chideya said because Makwavarara was unelected, she did not have the power to fire him. He had asked the court to invalidate the commissions reappointment by the local government minister in December 2006.

When he reported for duty Monday, Chideya was barred from resuming his work at the Town House. Despite his court victory last week the dismissed Town Clerk was met by nearly 20 municipal policemen with the intention of stopping him from entering.

Our sources in Harare said the policemen failed however to stop Chideya and instead escorted him to the office of the Chamber Secretary where he stayed for over an hour before promising to report back at the Town House on Tuesday.

The deputy secretary for local government in the MDC Last Maengahama, a former councillor together with Makwavarara during the Mudzuri era, said if the commission fails to step down people in Harare are certainly going to protest.

‘The people of Harare are fed up with this commission and are saying enough is enough. I can’t say much now but protests are being planned should the commission decide not to abide with the High court ruling,’ Maengahama said.

Harare has not had an elected mayor since 2003 when local government minister Ignatius Chombo dismissed the popular opposition MDC Mayor Elias Mudzuri. Chombo went on to appoint a commission to run the affairs of the city, which has proved enormously unpopular with many residents of the capital, including politicians from all political parties.

But the political turncoat and luxury-loving Makwavarara is refusing to step down and could find herself in contempt of the law. Conditions in capital meanwhile continue to deteriorate. Once known as the Sunshine city Harare is now almost unrecognisable from its heyday. Residents endure frequent water cuts, infrequent rubbish collection and have to live in close proximity to raw sewage because of broken pipes.

This is why CHRA has welcomed High Court Judge Lawrence Kamocha’s ruling declaring the commission illegal. In a statement the association said the re-appointing of commissions is illegal as it infringes on peoples’ freedoms to elect their representatives.

Chombo has embarked on a purge of opposition dominated councils, first removing Mudzuri and replacing him with the Makwarara commission, and following that with the suspension of Mutare and Chitungwiza executive mayors Misheck Kagurabadza and Misheck Shoko, only to replace them with Zanu PF loyalists.

‘The decision of the court shows the illegality of the commission which has mismanaged the city causing immense suffering to residents. Residents of Harare have repeatedly protested the continued re-appointment of the illegal commission running the affairs of Harare. The commission has acted outside the law and its decisions are invalid,’ said the statement from CHRA.