Mugabe’s sewage cost Makwavarara her job

By Lance Guma
09 August 2007

It was a battle fought by Harare residents for years and even several court orders failed to move Local Government Minister Ingatius Chombo into flushing Sekesai Makwavarara out of her position as Chairperson of the Commission running Harare. But a burst sewage pipe at Mugabe’s state house last week did the job. According to online publication Talk Zimbabwe.com Mugabe ordered Chombo to fire her after it took council workers over 2 days to attend to the problem, resulting in sewage overflowing from State House into Borrowdale road. Mugabe took exception to the delay and its messy consequences.

Talk Zimbabwe.com report that on the eve of his trip to Malaysia for an anti-poverty summit, Mugabe summoned Chombo and gave him orders to sack the opposition turncoat. "I don’t want to see this MDC woman running the affairs of Harare when I return from Malaysia. She must be fired with immediate effect.” Makwavarara is said to have been unaware of the impending dismissal and looked forward to the renewal of her term in office. She had even planned a series of mayoral engagements including a women’s cookery competition in which she was going to be guest of honour. Little did she know she would be guest of ‘dishonour’ at a press conference later.

Makwavarara is said to have had no idea the press conference chaired by Chombo was to announce her dismissal. The other commissioners had however been informed in advance. Mugabe’s point seems to have been that Makwavarara should have woken and smelt the coffee, or at the very least smelt the stench that was making its way from state house into Borrowdale. The former Harare Commission Chair will find it hard to find sympathisers after winning the deputy mayorship on an MDC ticket before stabbing them in the back to join Zanu PF. She has since presided over a corrupt and incompetent administration that has destroyed essential service delivery in Harare.