Residents Association urges rates boycott in capital


By Tererai Karimakwenda
08 August 2005

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) is urging residents in the capital to stop paying rates and other charges to an illegal commission whose term of office expired on June 9th, this year. This comes in the wake of a delay by the High Court in setting a date to hear CHRA's urgent application against the continuation of this commission.

The term of office of a commission cannot be extended beyond its initial 6 months, and elections have to be organised before that term expires. That much was made clear by the Supreme court back in 2001. At the time, Trudy Stevenson who is now Harare North MP and chairperson of CHRA's legal committee, challenged the legality of the Chanakira Commission that was running Harare.

The current case commission is headed by Sekesai Makwavarara, a former MDC councillor appointed by local government minister Ignatius Chombo when she joined the ruling party.

By challenging the continuous stay in office of the Makwavarara commission, CHRA hopes to speed up elections for a new mayor and administration. CHRA's legal committee chairperson Trudy Stevenson said it is unacceptable that an urgent application that was filed on June 10th, has still not been heard nearly two months later. The court has not even bothered to respond one way or the other. Stevenson said the only option left is for residents not to give their money to this illegal commission.