CHRA urges council to be innovative

As a result of this supplementary budget, rates and service charges have been raised with immediate effect.  

This is a worrisome development given that the newly elected council did not have enough time to deliberate on the proposed supplementary budget and more seriously, consult with the residents. It remains a major challenge to participatory development as long as residents are made to watch by the wayside. No justification must be tolerated on why such an exclusionary strategy was adopted. The question remains, is there any substantial difference between the manner of budget adoptions by previous appointed commissions and the manner in which this supplementary budget was approved? 

The increases will be effected in retrospect, from the 1st of July 2008. In tandem with the new rates hike, owners’ rates and supplementary charges for properties in the high density suburbs will go up to zw$172,7 billion with effect from July 2008. The same charges for the same areas will go up to zw$600 billion in August before it goes up again to zw$1,6 trillion in September and zw$3,6 trillion in October. Analysts have indicated that, due to inflation, these figures are likely to go up again; as the value of the money the council seeks to raise will be eroded.  

CHRA seriously urges the city council to be innovative in their fundraising, and look beyond the traditional fundraising strategies of rates collection from the residents. The supplementary budget and the subsequent hiking of rates comes against the background of landlords charging rentals in foreign currency as well as the 500% to 1000%  weekly inflation of prices for basic food stuffs. The residents are already suffering from the current economic meltdown, so much that most of them are struggling to provide for their basic survival. According to a survey carried out recently by CHRA, most residents are living on one substandard meal of very little sadza and boiled green vegetables. Children are walking long distances to schools, where they are spending the whole day on empty stomach. For full details on the economic meltdown and its impact on the residents’ bread basket, reference is made to the CHRA Weekly Update: Harare Last Week issues of 13-18 July 2008 and 19-26 July 2008.

The obvious and direct impact of the supplementary budget on the residents’ livelihood is that it further strains the family budget and that means more suffering for the already poor parents and children. CHRA reminds the councilors that, the residents also expect the council as the Local Government; to come up with development initiatives that address urban poverty. In the past CHRA has made various efforts aimed at capacitating the Engineer Mudzuri led council to come up with and implement development policies that aim at improving the livelihoods of the disadvantaged residents. Meanwhile CHRA is working on a number of programs that aim at such capacity building; which it hopes to implement in partnership with the city council. 

Farai Barnabas Mangodza

Chief Executive Officer

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)

145 Robert Mugabe Way

Exploration House, Third Floor

Harare

ceo@chra.co.zw

www.chra.co.zw

Landline: 00263- 4- 705114 

Contacts: Mobile: 011 563 141, 0912638401, 011862012 or email info@chra.co.zw, programs@chra.co.zw and admin@chra.co.zw