RECENTLY, I witnessed firsthand brutality on the part of Harare City Council security personnel when vendors’ tables were destroyed at Machipisa shopping centre in Highfield, Harare.
The destruction was gut-wrenching and you could feel for the vendors.
One could see the heartless nature of our leaders when masses are tormented to such unprecedented levels.
After making little savings and delving into vending, the results are catastrophic, with the loss of all you had saved.
The brutality is just too much and one wonders what Zimbabweans did to deserve such ill-treatment.
We hear Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has commenced renovations and these are coming shortly after an unannounced visit by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
For long, people have been bemoaning the state of our hospitals, but no one took them seriously.
I am flabbergasted as to why no one wants to lend an ear in time to people’s voices when they cry for assistance, only to seem to be running around when high-profile people shine light in such dark corners.
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The mess at our hospitals has become one of the greatest threats to health service delivery in history in the country.
Health workers have incessantly complained about poor remuneration, poor tools of trade, dilapidated infrastructure, alas, no one takes them seriously, all they get are threats of
dismissal.
Lack of political will to solve our health crisis will result in all experienced staff migrating to greener pastures.
The rate at which we are losing health workers is alarming and action is required as soon as yesterday.
The health sector is at the lowest level of the donga, it reached there as a result of lack of political will, inconsideration, corruption, maladministration and poor financing, among other factors.
Harare City Council is in a mess today with proven reports of corruption, financial abuse, incompetence, maladministration, but no concrete action is being taken against the perpetrators.
Some of them have grown long branches and deep roots such that they are untouchable.
Residents are complaining about how dangerously run the city is today.
We have a whole Local Government and Public Works ministry that is supposed to be overseeing council operations but it remains silent when complaints are raised on a daily basis.
The same scenario obtains in the Health and Child Care ministry, where seeds of multiple problems were allowed to germinate over a long time and government is scrambling fighter jets to douse flames.
The commission of inquiry into the running of the affairs of Harare, which heard evidence of current office bearers being implicated in grand corruption and other ills, gobbled millions of dollars, but there has been no movement since the commission’s last hearing.
Many residents expect prompt action given the disgusting arrogance exhibited by the Jacob Mafume-led council.
Countries like China do not entertain such high-level corruption and, in many instances, capital punishment is imposed to send an unequivocal message to would-be offenders.
It seems fashionable in Zimbabwe to be involved in corruption as the culprits perambulate the streets, flaunting their ill-gotten wealth without anyone in position of power asking questions or investigating them.
What does authorities expect Harare to become when the city fathers and council officials implicated in multi-million-dollar scandals continue to run the city?
The people are watching and their time to react will come.
Is this not the right time for the President to act on the commission’s report?
It is everyone’s guess that the Justice Maphios Cheda-chaired commission report is damning and there should be no sacred cows this time.
Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison is keenly waiting to swallow some of these culprits who should have been taken in even some months ago.
Action should be taken now and sanity should be restored at Town House as a matter of urgency.
It is imperative to change all the leaders at Harare City Council if order is to be restored.
All the barbarity meted out on vendors could have been a thing of the past if prompt action had been taken against malfeasance at the local authority.
The inconsiderate and iniquitous behaviour of council security officers is unpardonable.
It is undeniable that our esteemed city has been run down by uncaring leaders who do not deserve a day in office.
A commission may be better placed to deal with the issues bedevilling the city.
This is the time to act Mr President.
