He made the remarks on Wednesday when addressing stakeholders at the launch of Mutare Charter which was held under the theme “Towards a Local Government Accountability Charter”.
Centre for Public Accountability is holding conferences on building a culture of accountability and transparency in Zimbabwe’s local authority through the establishment of Charters.
Councillor Brian James (MDC-T) said there was a lot of political interference in the affairs of the city council from top politicians who were working to achieve their own ends at the expense of ratepayers.
James said there was misrepresentation and manipulation of facts in various quarters to tarnish the image of the elected council.
“It’s high time residents stood up and got involved in civic matters because it also affects them. We have imposed sanctions on ourselves. Gone are the days when rights of residents were trampled upon,” said James.
The mayor said there was no reason to create illegal slums for political reasons as this was a potential health hazard for residents.
“We have a situation where some people were registered on cooperative housing waiting lists, but beneficiaries are no longer beneficiaries. We have since launched a judicial inquiry into the cooperative so that necessary information can be obtained to solve the problem,” said James.
James said there was a total disconnection between the elected council and management, saying some people in the management were still suffering from what he termed a political hangover.
The City of Mutare received a US$3 million grant from the Ministry of Finance to augment its water and sewer system in the high density surburbs, but mayor James said progressed had been stalled by suppliers who were failing to supply them with pipes.
He revealed that his signatory powers were unceremoniously snatched from him by Minister Ignatius Chombo and bestowed on his chamber secretary because he was asking for accountability and transparency in the allocation and management of council resources.
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