The escalating battle of political control with the MDC-T has seen another wave of recalls that have claimed eleven Councillors in Harare crippling service delivery and political representation.
“I wish to inform you that I am in receipt of a letter from the Movement for Democratic Change (T) stating that the following councillors have been expelled from that Party. In terms of Section 278 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, as read with section 129(1)(k), Wards 24, 39, 19, 34, 30, 8, 40, 21, 29, 6 and 35 are now vacant,” reads part of the letter from the Minister of Local Government, July Moyo.
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.
The new wave of recalls has created a leadership vacuum at community level with residents pushed to the periphery of local governance.
“They (MDC-T) must explain why they are withdrawing our constitutional right to representation in council. So far there is no misconduct levelled against the recalled councillors to justify recalling, other than political differences among themselves”, said an angry resident.
Some sections within the political arena are now insinuating that the government put a Commission to run the affairs of the City until 2023.
“Now that the Harare Council has been paralysed, don’t you think it’s high time for government to deploy a commission to run Harare Council until 2023?” reads a tweet from ZANU PF Patriots.
In the letter to the Town Clerk the Minister of Local Government advised the Town Clerk to inform the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on the “vacant” wards without Councillors.
So far 20 Councillors have fallen victim to the recalls. CHRA is calling for residents associations and CSOs to converge over the matter as it has become a nationwide issue.
Source: Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
