Zim opposition seizes control of urban local authorities

 

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party already controls the House of Assembly after defeating Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF party in combined presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in March.

 

Mugabe lost to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in March but won a presidential run-off election last week in which he was sole candidate after Tsvangirai pulled out because of political violence. That victory allows Mugabe to rule Zimbabwe although local authority in the capital Harare and all other major

cities will be in opposition hands.

 

“Taking of oath of office for the newly elected councillors started on Tuesday in Harare,” Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo said. “The exercise will be replicated in other councils throughout the country before this weekend. We delayed the swearing in ceremony to allow for the presidential election.”

 

However Chombo did not cite the law which he used to postpone installation of new councils which, in terms of the Urban Councils Act, should be done within 48 hours after election of new councillors.

 

In addition to Harare, where the MDC won 45 of the 46 wards that were contested, the opposition party won with overwhelming margins in the cities of Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo Chitungwiza, Kwekwe and Chinhoyi.

 

The opposition party also made significant inroads into rural areas where it won several council seats at the expense of ZANU PF.In Harare, prominent lawyer and chairperson of the Voluntary Media Council

of Zimbabwe, Muchadeyi Masunda, was elected the capital’s ceremonial mayor,taking over from Michael Mahachi who has been the chairman of a commission appointed by Chombo to run the affairs of the council.

 

Councillor Emmanuel Chiroto, whose wife was murdered by suspected ZANU PF militia in the run-up to the June 27 second presidential election run-off,will deputise Masunda.

 

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said on Wednesday that the opposition party hoped that Mugabe’s government would not interfere with the daily operations of local councils, as Chombo did four years ago when he removed the MDC-backed executive mayor of Harare Elias Mudzuri and his entire council.

 

Since then the capital has been run by government-appointed commissions accountable to Mugabe and his party and not to ratepayers.Chombo also removed the mayors and councillors of Mutare, Gweru and Kwekwe accusing them of mismanagement but analysts said the removals were merely a ploy by the government to retain control of urban councils through the backdoor.

 

Zimbabwe last year scrapped the position of executive mayor for urban councils. Ceremonial mayors, who are either elected councillors or anyone owning property within a respective municipality, now preside over urban councils. – ZimOnline