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<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has warned about a potential humanitarian disaster in Harare and Chitungwiza following the decommissioning of the Prince Edward water treatment plant. This decision comes after the drying up of two critical water supply dams, Harava and Seke.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, 28 August, the City of Harare announced the closure of the water treatment plant, which processes water from the Harava and Seke dams for distribution to Chitungwiza and various parts of Harare, including Hatfield, Airport, Waterfalls, and Msasa.</p>
<p>The shutdown of the plant, located near Chitungwiza, is resulting in a daily loss of 70-80 megalitres of water, further exacerbating the already limited supply.</p>
<p>In a statement, CHRA warned that the decommissioning of the Prince Edward water purification plant could lead to serious health crises in both Chitungwiza and Harare. CHRA said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The CHRA is warning of a serious humanitarian disaster if urgent contingency plans are not put in place following the decommissioning of the Prince Edward water purification plant by the City of Harare due to the lack of raw water in the Seke and Harava dams.</p>
<p>This has increased the water supply deficit in the city and worsened the ongoing water crisis, impacting the residents of Harare and Chitungwiza.</p>
<p>We reiterate that the lack of raw water in the Seke and Harava dams due to the El Nino-induced drought is a reality of the impact and effects of climate change, which require inclusive climate action and disaster risk reduction planning for resilience building.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>CHRA urged local authorities and the central government to work together to provide alternative water supplies to Harare and Chitungwiza residents. Reads the statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Given the deepened water crisis, the government and local authorities (City of Harare and Chitungwiza Municipality) must set aside an emergency fund for the provision of alternative water supplies (mobile water bowsers), installation of online chlorinators on all public boreholes and distribution of chlorine tablets.</p>
<p>Development of inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate action plans at the community level for local resilience building.</p>
<p>The government needs to disburse meaningful amounts of devolution funds to the City of Harare, and these funds should be channelled towards financing of improving water infrastructure, in particular reduction of non-revenue water currently standing between 40-50%.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>On Friday, August 30, the Chitungwiza Municipality announced that it will start receiving water from Harare’s Morton Jaffray treatment plant every Friday through Sunday. The municipality plans to distribute this water to as many areas as possible upon its arrival.</p>
<p>Harare City Council’s water director, Phakamile Mabhena Moyo, recently informed the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government that the water treatment capacity at Morton Jaffray is 614 megalitres (ML) per day.</p>
<p>In contrast, the capacity at Prince Edward is 90 ML per day. This brings the total capacity to 704 ML per day, intended to serve Harare, Chitungwiza, Norton, Ruwa, and areas extending to Inkomo Barracks.</p>
<p>Moyo noted that the daily water demand is approximately 800 ML, surpassing the production capacity of 704 ML.</p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></p>


Pindula News

The residents' association warns that Harare and Chitungwiza may face a crisis due to drying up of water dams. The water treatment plant had to close, causing a shortage of water in the area. This could lead to health problems for people. The association is urging the government to find alternative water sources and make plans to handle emergencies. Chitungwiza will start receiving water from another treatment plant. But, the demand for water is higher than what can be produced, leading to a serious problem.

Residents Association Warns Of Humanitarian Crisis After Dams Dry Up

<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has urged the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC) to investigate the theft of equipment in Harare City Council Health Centres.</p>
<p>In a letter dated 25 October 2022 and addressed to the ZACC chairperson, CHRA acting director Reuben Akili said there are 19 cases of theft of equipment at the health centres which occurred while municipal police officers were on duty.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Akili said the municipal police officers who were on duty when the crimes were committed should be investigated. He wrote:</p>
<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) is calling for thorough investigations into the 19 cases of theft of equipment in Harare City Council Health Centres when Municipal Officers were on duty.</p>
<p>We are disturbed that in as much as there were municipal officers manning the health centres there is no explanation for the disappearance of the equipment, which includes big water tanks and solar panels.</p>
<p>We are of the view that the inaction by the Municipal Police Department in terms of disciplining the municipal officers who were on duty on the days when the thefts occurred, may be an indicator of serious issues of graft in the local authority.</p>
<p>We are worried that the theft which has crippled maternal health provision in the health centres will continuously deny women of their right to have access to basic healthcare services including reproductive healthcare services provided in Section 7641) of the Zimbabwean Constitution.</p>
</blockquote>


CHRA Writes To ZACC Over 19 Cases Of Theft At Council Clinics

<p>Harare residents have bemoaned the water crisis currently bedevilling the city after Harare City Council (HCC) shut down Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday night due to a shortage of water treatment chemicals.</p>
<p>In a notice to residents on Thursday morning, the City of Harare said the Morton Jaffray Waterworks would be shut for at least two days starting this past Wednesday.</p>
<p>Council spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said suppliers had failed to provide aluminium sulphate and chlorine gas, key ingredients in water treatment.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) acting director Reuben Akili urged the local authority to find long-term measures to address the shortage of chemicals. Said Akili:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The issue of water treatment chemicals has become a perennial issue for the City of Harare mainly emanating from poor revenue collection.</p>
<p>The challenge we have faced for a long time is that of interference by the Local Government minister on the use of devolution funds which can be used for long-term solutions to the water problems.</p>
<p>The local authority discharges waste into Lake Chivero, which increases water purification costs, while there is the continued destruction of wetlands, which also purify water for free. If they are kept well, they reduce water treatment costs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba blamed unnamed individuals that deal with council for Harare’s water woes. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The City of Harare is getting supplies for water treatment chemicals from companies that belong to individuals who the council may not be able to sanction for gross incompetence.</p>
<p>The residents have come to realise that the City of Harare has no capacity to deliver adequate water to the ratepayers.</p>
<p>It has become predictable that residents go for weekends without water.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/08/hcc-runs-out-of-water-chemicals/">NewsDay</a></strong></p>


Residents Bemoan Water Woes As Harare Runs Out Of Chemicals

<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has given Harare City Council forty-eight (48) hours to fix the drainage systems in the capital city’s high-density suburbs including the central business district CBD.</p>
<p>This comes after many suburbs in Harare were hit by flash floods during the current rainy season due to poorly maintained drainage systems.</p>
<p>CHRA said residents will continue experiencing such flash floods unless the water drainage system is attended to, thus putting residents at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.</p>
<p>In a letter written on their by Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on 19 January 2022 to the Town Clerk of the City of Harare, CHRA said the local authority was violating residents’ right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being by failing to fix the drainage system.</p>
<p>CHRA warned the Harare City Council that if it fails to maintain, repair and refurbish the drainage system in the high-density suburbs, the residents association will be left with no option but to institute proceedings for a court order compelling it to do so.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights</strong></span></p>


Harare Residents Give Council 48-hour Ultimatum To Fix Poor Drainage System

<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has condemned the ongoing demolitions of informal businesses within Harare Metropolitan Province by Harare City Council, Chitungwiza Municipality, Ruwa Local Board, Epworth Local Board.</p>
<p>In a statement this Tuesday, CHRA said the was a need for the government to consult stakeholders extensively than move unilaterally to demolish people’s livelihoods. The statement read:</p>
<p>Residents are deeply concerned with the Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Municipality’s move to demolish “illegal” car sales, tuck-shops and vending sites in the Metropolitan province.</p>
<p>The unfortunate exercise is a result of a Government directive, which came through the office of the Provincial Development Coordinator.</p>
<p>Yesterday vending sites and tuck-shops were demolished a move that has been viewed by residents as a war against livelihoods.</p>
<p>In a statement released on the 3rd of June 2021 from the Provincial Development Coordinator for Harare Province the government of Zimbabwe decreed that “The Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development and all respective local authorities namely City of Harare, Chitungwiza Municipality, Ruwa Local Board and Epworth shall therefore enforce a Province-wide joint operation from Monday 8 of June 2021.”</p>
<p>Since the lockdown, the government of Zimbabwe has been ruling by decree through issuing directives to local authorities and promulgating numerous Statutory Instruments without consultation with stakeholders or citizens.</p>
<p>CHRA appreciates the intention to bring order and sanity to the City of Harare but condemns the process and strategies being employed by the government.</p>
<p>Constitutional principles must be held in both practice and decision-making. The unilateral decisions being made by the government on behalf of the local authorities is a cause for concern, especially considering that we have a constitution that clearly provides for the power of local authorities to make decisions on their own initiative.</p>
<p>Government should stick to its oversight role and just make recommendations to local authorities, who then have the mandate to engage with citizens.</p>
<p>Extreme interventions like demolitions should always be the last option after all engagement avenues have been explored.</p>


CHRA Condemns Demolitions Of Informal Businesses

<p>Hatcliffe Ward 42 Councilor, Elvis Ruzani was arrested by police for clearing a dump site at Matombo area in Hatcliffe and later released without charge.</p>
<p>The youthful Councilor alleged that heavily armed police bundled him into a police truck where he was instructed to stop removing waste without police approval.</p>
<p>He further alleged that the police accused him of violating the Covid 19 rules and regulations.</p>
<p>‘I was arrested and thrown into a police truck with armed police officers, whilst I was busy clearing a dumpsite which has become a health hazard to the residents with a forklift and a lorry’, said the youthful councillor.</p>
<p>The incident occurred at a time when last week the Acting Mayor for Harare City Council, Councilor Stewart Mutizwa appealed to the public to help with any resource that can assist the city in clearing dumpsites and refuse collection.</p>
<p>Harare City Council has been grappling with challenges of removing sprouting dumpsites in most suburbs due to the non-collection of waste by the local authority caused by a depleted fleet of refuse trucks.</p>
<p>CHRA calls for the immediate stop to the criminalization and monopolization of removing waste, especially in high-density areas, where dumpsites have become potential risks of causing waterborne diseases.</p>
<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association condemns selective application and manipulation of the law to suppress freedoms and rights in the constitution under the guise of enforcing Covid-19 Protocols and Guidelines by the law enforcement agencies.</p>
<hr/>
<h3><strong>Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)</strong></h3>


Councillor Arrested For Cleaning Dumpsite Without Police Approval

<p>WARD RETENTION FUND DISBURSEMENTS SPILLS INTO COURT</p>
<p>Harare residents have dragged the Harare City Council to Court over failure to remit 25% ward retention funds to all forty-six wards of Harare.</p>
<p>On the 23rd of February 2017, Harare City Council made a resolution to remit 25% of revenue collected on each ward to be used for developmental initiatives for each ward but nothing has been disbursed to date.</p>
<p>The court intervention comes at a time when the local authority is failing to supply the equipment needed to attend to sewer blockages, grass cutting and water bursts at local District Offices.</p>
<p>The Ward retention fund is meant to cater for locally identified developmental projects that will not be prioritized in the Capital budgets for the respective local area.</p>
<p>The Court application which CHRA is an Applicant with case number HC2286 is seeking a relief order for;</p>
<ul>
<li>The Harare City Council to remit 25% of the rates collected in 46 wards in Harare as per council resolution made in 2017.</li>
<li>The Acting Finance director to open designated bank accounts with a duly registered commercial bank in Zimbabwe for each residential ward in Harare for the purpose of collection of rates payments from residents.</li>
<li>The City of Harare and the Acting Finance Director to remit 25% of the rates collected in the 46 residential wards in Harare no later than the last day of each and every month that follows.</li>
<li>The City of Harare and the Acting Finance Director to remit 25% of the rates collected prior to the date of this order within 30 days of service of the order on it.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Statement by the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)</strong></p>


Council Taken To Court Over Ward Retention Fund Disbursements

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<div dir="auto">The Combined Residents Association (CHRA) has said the local government board was instituted unconstitutionally. We present the association’s statement in full below.</div>
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<div dir="auto">LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD UNCONSTITUTIONAL</div>
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<div dir="auto">The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) is concerned by actions of the government of Zimbabwe’s failure to adhere to the provisions of the Constitution with the recent move of constituting a Local Government Board that will be seized with employing senior council officials.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
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<div dir="auto">Despite the fact that the government has been touting devolution of power, the government is still clinging to unconstitutional provisions within the Urban Councils Act 29:15 to centralize power and control local authorities.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Section 135 (1)(a) and (b) gives the Local Government Board power to approve or disapprove recommended persons by council for employment on “senior” positions, these include Town Clerk, Chamber Secretary, directors and their deputies.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Section 134 (1) States that “a council shall appoint persons approved by the Local Government Board to be seniors officials of the council.”</div>
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<div dir="auto">However, Section 274(2) of the Constitution asserts that “Urban local authorities are managed by councils composed of councilors” and Section 276 (1) reaffirm that “a local authority has the right to govern, on its own initiative, the local affairs of the people within the area for which it has been established, and has all the powers necessary to do so.”</div>
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<div dir="auto">The provisions of the Urban Councils Act 29:15 that gives power to the Local Government Board in hiring senior management of council is inconsistent with the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The constitution states “any law, practice, custom or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid to the extent of its inconsistency.”</div>
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<div dir="auto">The involvement of the central government in the selection and hiring of council employees has no place in any devolved system of governance as it weakens the council’s role in human resource management and accountability.</div>
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<div dir="auto">We envisage the reconfiguring of the state in compliance with Chapter 14 of the Constitution on devolution and the continued resistance to change is retrogressive and counterproductive.</div>
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<div dir="auto">We reiterate that the government expedites alignment of local government laws with the Constitution.</div>
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<div dir="auto"><strong>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></div>
</div>


FULL TEXT: Local Govt Board Unconstitutional - CHRA

<blockquote><p>The Combined Harare Residents Association is calling all residents of Harare and motorists to resist machinations of the introduction of a roads levy by the City of Harare.</p>
<p>The move comes at a time when ZINARA has totally failed to use vehicle licensing and toll gate fees in road maintenance and rehabilitation.</p>
<p>We assert that any form of introduction of road tax or levy in Harare is double taxation and must be resisted by the residents and motorists.</p>
<p>The road levy is a move to cover up failures by ZINARA to be accountable, rehabilitate and maintain roads when it is collecting vehicle license and toll gate fees.</p>
<p>We are very clear that the current state of roads in Harare and Zimbabwe, in general, is a result of a centralized governance system that is not responsive to local needs since the ZINARA takeover of vehicle licensing in 2008.</p>
<p>We reiterate our position that if the government of Zimbabwe intends to improve the state of roads there should be political will from the Cabinet to reverse the ZINARA takeover of vehicle licensing from local authorities.</p>
<p>Residents and motorists should not pay the price and bear the burden of failing institutions such as ZINARA through the introduction of roads levy via the backdoor.</p>
<p>This injustice in the making is not welcomed in Harare where citizens have been grappling with over-taxation. We expect Harare City Councilors to make a rational decision and embark on broader consultation on this pertinent matter.</p>
<p>Furthermore, ZINARA must publish the amount of vehicle license fees that it has collected in Harare for the year 2020 and the amounts it has disbursed to the local authority for the same period.</p>
<p>In line with devolution enshrined in Chapter 14 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, we call upon the government of Zimbabwe to devolve the powers and functions of vehicle licensing to local authorities.</p></blockquote>


FULL TEXT: CHRA Urges Residents To Resist Council's Roads Levy

<p><strong>The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) has criticised the decision by local authorities to hike rates saying the increment was ill-timed. We present ZNOART’s statement below.</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>ZNOART PRESS STATEMENT ON EXORBITANT RATES</p>
<p>EXORBITANT RATES ZERO SERVICE DELIVERY</p>
<p>In an unexpected move by local authorities that has shocked residents across the country in the middle of poor or non-existent service delivery, there is a huge outcry and a call for these authorities to justify these sharp and exorbitant increases in rates and other utilities.</p>
<p>Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts ZNOART are keen to hear from all local authorities concerned why they have been such an upsurge without taking into consideration their reciprocation of services commensurate with the new bills.</p>
<p>Nearly all urban authorities have huge shortfalls in providing safe and portable water, refuse collection, emergency services, health facilities and general welfare of residents.</p>
<p>These increases have been coming over the years and no improvement has been observed in fact there is rapid deterioration and service provision and unprecedented dilapidation of infrastructures such as roads, lighting and recreational facilities.</p>
<p>Although we are totally against these exorbitant charges residents have also lost confidence in how this revenue is put to use if they decide to pay.</p>
<p>As residents we are calling upon the responsible ministry to rise to the occasion and come to our rescue by rendering definitive intervention, we regard this move by local authorities as an unnecessary bull rush intended to fleece the ordinary ratepayer of their hard-earned resources.<br/>
We understand that it is our responsibility to pay for service rendered but we feel that the bills should be confined to reasonable and affordable parameters failing which the vicious circle of non-compliance by residents and the incapacitation of service providers will continue.</p>
<p>We also feel that this move was ill-timed as the ordinary residents are still suffering from the effects of the COVID pandemic related lockdown which implied the limitation of earnings in most households.</p>
<p>Given the prevailing situation of allegations and pending court cases relating to corruption and abuse of office by a number of senior officers in urban councils, residents find it hard to digest the justification of these high figures as sentiments are pointing towards the fact that council officials will continue to fatten their own pockets at the expense of service delivery.</p>
<p>It is better to institute affordable rates which will translate into a higher rate of compliance from residents than to bill residents with figures outside of their reach.</p>
<p>We implore local authorities to be responsive to the outcries of their residents and consider revisiting their decisions and reduce these tariffs in a manner consistent with the prevailing economic conditions.</p>
<p>Prepared by:<br/>
S. Chikomba<br/>
ZNOART National chairman<br/>
0772882545</p>
<p>For more Information Contact :<br/>
What’s App hotline :0776075414<br/>
Email : znoart1@gmail.com<br/>
Facebook Page: Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts.</p></blockquote>


FULL TEXT: Residents Resist "Ill-Timed" Rates Hike

<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has said Harare is likely to experience an outbreak of waterborne diseases due to the city fathers’ failure to collect refuse and attend to sewer bursts.</p>
<p>CHRA conducted a snap survey that exposed the rot in the capital especially in high-density suburbs such as Mufakose, Highfields, Mabvuku, Tafara, Glen View, Budiriro.</p>
<p>The residents’ group reports that the suburbs are grappling with unattended sewer bursts and uncollected solid waste becoming an order of the day.</p>
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<div dir="auto">City officials in Glen View highlighted that they were unable to attend to the sewer bursts due to lack of equipment. A city plumber stationed at Glen View told CHRA:</div>
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<div dir="auto">We can’t attend to the bursts because we do not have the rods for sewer chokes, the one set of rods we have has been sent to Mufakose.</div>
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<div dir="auto">In Mabvuku residents have made a makeshift sewer pond after the City failed to fix a perennial sewer burst at corner Mashingwe and Chizhanje with residents resorting to open defecation in maize fields because their toilets are now unusable because they are flooded with sewer. Mr Chikoti, a Tafara resident told CHRA:</div>
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<div dir="auto">We need to urgently conduct all stakeholders that will include development partners operating in the area in order to come up with a collective intervention the situation can go haywire anytime if we continue watching.</div>
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<div dir="auto">The situation is reportedly worse in Glen View where sewer is now gushing out from toilets flowing into houses. Charged Vimbai Nyachuru CHRA Ward 32 Coordinator:</div>
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<div dir="auto">This is unbearable we are stuck, we have reported this to the municipality but there have been a lot of excuses from the municipality to repair these bursts.</div>
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<div dir="auto">The City center has not been spared as piles of uncollected waste are heaped at Charge Office Bus terminus and behind First Street Police Post.</div>
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<div dir="auto">The situation also comes at a time when there are machinations to sweep the issue of 15 undelivered refuse trucks under the carpet which were purchased by the City in 2015 at a cost of US3,1 million.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Harare City Council claims that they are failing to collect refuse due to lack of refuse trucks, however, CHRA suggests the city fathers have not revealed the state of 15 refuse trucks purchased from Mass Breed Investments.</div>
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<div dir="auto">The residents’ union also accuses the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works, and National Housing for remaining “mum on the issue.”</div>
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<div dir="auto">CHRA has since petitioned the Parliament of Zimbabwe on the issue of the 15 undelivered refuse trucks in a bid to cause an investigation on the issue.</div>
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Waterborne Diseases Brewing In Harare - CHRA

<blockquote><p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) is shocked by Harare City Council Acting Mayor’s decision to reinstate senior Council employees who had been arrested on allegations of corruption.</p>
<p>The circus that is being perpetuated at Town House is a mockery to principles of good governance and accountability.</p>
<p>The Acting Harare Mayor Councilor Mukunguma wrote a letter on the 17th of December to call upon the suspended Town Clerk, Hosiah Chisango stating that, ‘due to exigency of work and the demands of the office of the Town clerk you are hereby notified to proceed with your work in your capacity as the Town Clerk’.</p>
<p>The reasons proffered by the Acting Mayor are not justifiable and this is a sad demonstration of lack of seriousness in terms of dealing with corruption.</p>
<p>It does not make sense to reinstate an employee who has not been proven innocent in the court of law.</p>
<p>In addition, the reinstatement is likely to lead to interference with investigations on the alleged matters.</p>
<p>The Acting Mayor Mukunguma is offside and needs to be reigned in. The office of the Mayor of Harare is ceremonial and the decision to reinstate the Town Clerk, Hosiah Chisango can only be done through a council resolution.</p>
<p>CHRA is also concerned with the interference of the Harare Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Muguti, who has jumped in to give a directive to Council on this matter.<br/>
Our concern arises from the fact that Chapter 14 of the Zimbabwean Constitution is clear on the structural composition of provincial councils and the PDC is not part of that structural composition.</p>
<p>We reiterate that the PDC should not assume a judicial position as the member of the executive arm of the state.</p>
<p>This is against the doctrine of separation of power and the oversight role of the local authorities according to the law which comes from the Minister of Local Government.</p>
<p>As CHRA we are aware that the current chaos at Town House is caused by factional politics from MDC.</p>
<p>These are machinations aimed at imposing a commission on the residents of Harare, which will cripple representative democracy.</p>
<p>CHRA implores the implementation of devolution in the Constitution of Zimbabwe with a clear structural composition which has the authority to make decisions for Local Authorities when such chaos resurge.</p></blockquote>


CHRA Says Acting Harare Mayor, PDC Are Offside - Full Statement

<p>The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations of Residents Trust (ZNOART) has urged the Ministry of Local Government and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to take swift action against a myriad of irregularities which it said are rampant in local authorities.</p>
<p>In a statement on Friday, ZNOART bemoaned the “cancer of corruption” regarding tendering and urban land use which has reportedly reached alarming levels.</p>
<p>The pressure group said the failure by the Local Government Ministry and ZACC to immediately “cleanse” the local authorities undermines their credibility. ZNOART said in the statement:</p>
<blockquote><p>We hereby reiterate our petulant cry that Government, through the relevant authorities, should not pretend that all is well when the economically-strained residents continue to be short-changed by unscrupulous Council officials whose only reason to hold positions of office was to orchestrate the fattening of their pockets and amassing ill-gotten wealth and properties through abuse of office.</p>
<p>We cannot continue to watch when many people have been fleeced of their hard-earned money by bogus property developers and greedy land barons. Those who have crossed the line through corruption should be brought to book.</p></blockquote>
<p>The pressure group also identified Harare, Mashonaland West and Masvingo as some of the areas where corruption and mismanagement of public affairs have become entrenched.</p>
<p>Among other things, ZNOART identified the hiking of water and sewage charges four-fold and that of refuse collection ten-fold in Harare, the illegal allocations of stands in the Mahombekombe area in Kariba, where houses have been built under high voltage power lines and the bloated parking fees of US$1 and attendant regulations on ‘cleaning cars in the streets’ in Masvingo as some of the issues that require immediate attention.</p>


Residents Trusts Call For Immediate 'Cleansing' Of Local Authorities

<p>Residents of Tafara and Mabvuku said they will not pay their rates to the Harare City Council until they see an improvement in service delivery.</p>
<p>The residents claimed that some sections of Mabvuku had gone for 30 years without receiving tap water, but residents in those areas were being made to pay the fixed water bill.</p>
<p>This came out during a Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) Ward Development Committee meeting held in Tafara. A member of Ward 46 Development Committee said:</p>
<blockquote><p>A section of houses ranging from house number 1000-1602 has not received a single drop of water for the past 30 years.</p>
<p>It does not make sense for residents to pay for services that are not there, but when the water comes, we will pay.</p></blockquote>
<p>CHRA, however, encouraged the irate residents to continue paying their rates saying this will empower them to demand accountability from the Council.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Harare City Council spokesperson Michael Chideme on Sunday revealed that they were looking at the introduction of a pre-payment method.</p>
<p>Chideme said under the current post-payment system, ratepayers are defaulting as they have no compelling obligation to pay.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/no-services-no-payment/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Herald</a></strong></h4>


'No Services, No Payment' - Mabvuku Residents

<p>The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has condemned the recalls of MDC Alliance Councillors by the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe saying the move has crippled service delivery in the city.</p>
<p>CHRA argued that the recall of the councillors has resulted in a leadership vacuum and the sidelining of residents from issues that directly affect them. The organisation said:</p>
<blockquote><p>The recalls come at a time when Council has closed more than thirty clinics with a massive job action looming next week among the health personnel in the local authority.</p>
<p>The new wave of recalls has created a leadership vacuum at the community level with residents pushed to the periphery of local governance.</p></blockquote>
<p>CHRA has since called for a National Convergence among Residents Associations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) over the matter alleging it has become a nationwide issue.</p>
<p>The judicially-created MDC-T has so far recalled 21 councillors in Harare, among them the mayor Herbert Gomba and his deputy Enoch Mupamawonde.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="http://harare.opencouncil.co.zw/2020/09/15/chra-castigates-mdc-t-over-recalls/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Council – Harare</a></strong></h4>


Residents Castigate Khupe For 'Crippling Service Delivery'

<p>Some nurses at council clinics have reportedly turned into “illegal money changers” as they prioritise patients with USD to those with bond notes or RTGS dollars.</p>
<p>This came out during a Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) meeting, with residents accusing nurses at Highfields Polyclinic of engaging in forex deals. A woman who attended the meeting said:</p>
<blockquote><p>Our nurses are not receipting United States dollars we give them. Instead, they are taking the money and use their EcoCash to pay for us and give us receipt written in bond note (ZWL).</p></blockquote>
<p>Residents complained that they fail to get medication at the clinics even after paying the consultation fees. They said they are told to buy medication at private pharmacies.</p>
<p>Nurses were also accused of selling medical drugs and medication in United States Dollars outside the clinic at night after working hours while patients are told that there is no medication at the clinics.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="http://harare.opencouncil.co.zw/2020/09/11/nurses-now-money-changers-at-clinics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Council – Harare</a></strong></h4>


Nurses Resort To Illegal Forex Deals

<p>Commuters have sued Zimbabwe’s public transport utility, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) for failing to adequately provide public transport during the lockdown.</p>
<p>The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) and Combined Harare Residents Association(CHRA), representing the commuters, said ZUPCO has put them at greater risk of contracting coronavirus as they are being forced to spend hours in queues and the buses are not properly disinfected.</p>
<p>The Lawyer representing the passengers, Advocate Choice Damiso told ZTN that ZUPCO has not been able to avail adequate buses to cater for the commuting public. She said:</p>
<blockquote><p>There is pressure for buses and pressure in terms of getting onto the bus. Commuters spend a lot of time in queues waiting for infrequent buses. When the buses do come there is no consistency with social distancing and buses are not being disinfected.</p></blockquote>
<p>The applicants are seeking that the court allows more operators of public transport to assist ZUPCO in providing transport for members of the public.</p>
<p>The State’s argument was that the limitations that were imposed are necessary in the interests of public health and safety.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi has reserved his judgement. The judgment will be handed down in open court on the 26th of August.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="http://ztn.co.zw/stream/2020/08/stranded-zim-commuters-sue-zupco/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZTN</a></strong></h4>


Passengers Sue ZUPCO Over Poor Service, Exposure To Coronavirus

<p>Two organisations representing Harare residents have called on the government to appoint a commission to run the affairs of Harare City Council.</p>
<p>This follows the arrest of top city officials and Mayor Herbert Gomba after being implicated in land scams.</p>
<p>Zimbabwe Combined Residents Association (ZICORA) president, McSteven Nyabvure, said the setting up of a commission to run the city’s affairs was long overdue. He said:</p>
<blockquote><p>A commission should have been in place way back. Our lives are in danger due to corruption. The commission should have been placed like yesterday.</p></blockquote>
<p>Leader of the Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust, Shepherd Chikomba believes that the establishment of a commission may put a stop to the corruption that has become endemic in the municipality. Said Chikomba:</p>
<blockquote><p>This level of corruption is uncalled for and we condemn it in the strongest terms. Maybe if a commission is appointed to run these councils, things will change for the better. Government has to intervene.</p></blockquote>
<p>However, Combined Harare Residents Association director Loreen Mupasiri-Sani is opposed to the appointment of a commission.</p>
<p>Mupasiri-Sani argued that unlike councillors, who are answerable to residents, the appointed commissioners would be reporting directly to the central Government.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/name-commission-to-run-harare-residents/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Herald</a></strong></h4>


Residents Divided Over Possible Appointment Of Commission To Run Harare

<p>Harare residents have threated legal action against Harare City Council over the authority’s move to disconnect water from residents for non-payment of tariffs.</p>
<p>As such, the Combined Harare Residents Association, (CHRA) has written a petition to the city council demanding that the water disconnections be stopped forthwith.</p>
<p>CHRA acting director Loreen Mupasiri-Sani claimed that it is against the law for the local authority to cut off water from residents for non-payment of water bills. She wrote:</p>
<blockquote><p>We urgently implore you to desist from this idea of arbitrary water disconnections on the grounds that Section 62 [2] of the Zimbabwe Constitution entitles every person the right of access to any information held by any person, including the State, in so far as the information is required for the exercise or protection of a right.</p>
<p>We are aware that receipts are being done offline and no updates on payments are being done at the moment yet you are disconnecting water on a debt that you cannot establish.</p>
<p>The absence of the BIQ system has also denied property owners general information on the status of their accounts.</p>
<p>Simple principles of administrative justice require that you act lawfully, fairly and reasonably. It is in our view that your conduct of disconnecting water to coerce ratepayers to service a debt which you cannot establish due to technological failure on your part is unlawful.</p>
<p>Furthermore, payments made by ratepayers are not deducted during this “BIQ blackout period.</p>
<p>It is in our view that arbitrary water disconnections are unlawful, illegal and are a clear violation of the right to water.</p>
<p>CHRA is not opposed for the City to collect debts, however, the strategy or process must be in the confines of the law.</p></blockquote>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="https://www.263chat.com/chra-threatens-court-action-against-harare-city-over-water-disconnections/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">263Chat.com</a></strong></h4>


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