HARARE A civic society group representing Harare residents is calling for an amendment of the Urban Councils Act to clip the wings of Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo The Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) said the section of the Urban Councils Act dealing with special interest councillors must be reviewed to allow for input from stakeholders within particular towns and cities.
While the principle of special interest councillors is ideal, the
selection process has to be reviewed to allow for key stakeholders to
second their own representatives, and not be imposed on the electorate
by the minister, HRT coordinator Precious Shumba said in a report
titled Analysis of Local Government Framework within the Constitution
making process in Zimbabwe.
Local authorities have accused Chombo of using the provision on
special interest councillors to dilute MDC-T led urban councils with
Zanu (PF) appointees.
According to the Urban Councils Act, the appointed councillors are
entitled to participate in the business of the council and perform the
same functions as elected councillors.
The current Act gives Chombo a special dispensation to appoint special
interest councillors up to 25 percent of the democratically elected
councillors.
The Harare City Council has 46 elected councillors, which allows the
minister to appoint 11 special interest councillors.
Shumba also said residents bodies should be legally recognised as
stakeholders in the Urban Councils Act and that the Act should limit
Chombos powers on recruitment of senior management in local
authorities and financial matters.
The so-called Local Government Board, that is supposed to be
responsible for the recruitment of senior management, should be
independent of the minister, and accountable to the Parliament of
Zimbabwe, Shumba said.
The Local Government Board presently falls under Chombos ministry and
the minister has allegedly abused his powers by appointing his
blue-eyed personnel into the employment of local authorities.
Post published in: Politics