A DEPLORABLE trait deeply embedded in local and central government administrations is the blatant disregard for citizens’ interests.
This entrenched culture has severely eroded public trust in governance institutions, as elected officials prioritise self-serving agendas at the expense of the very people they are meant to serve.
The pervasive nature of such conduct has bred a fertile ground for corruption, effectively stripping citizens of their democratic right to hold public officials to ccount.
This week, Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe handed over the management of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant to an obscure Chinese firm, Laison Technology.
The company was controversially awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to revamp the capital’s water reticulation system — without the deal ever going to tender.
The agreement, finalised in January, has sparked uproar among associations representing Harare’s 1,6 million residents. Further fuelling public outrage is the involvement of Helcraw Electrical Projects, owned by Zanu PF legislator Farai Jere, which is set to implement the project alongside Laison Technology. It is hardly a stretch for residents to suspect that Jere’s firm was handpicked due to his close ties with the ruling party. This opaque transaction — extensively investigated by the Zimbabwe Independent — will see Helcraw receiving millions of United States dollars.
To fund this arrangement, Harare’s long-suffering residents — who have endured decades of grossly inadequate service delivery, erratic water supplies, and non-existent refuse collection — will be forced to fork out an estimated monthly levy of US$6 per household for the next decade.
As the Morton Jaffray plant was formally handed over to Laison Technology, pressing questions raised by residents and the media remain glaringly unanswered.
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Beyond Harare, Garwe’s influence has also loomed large over Victoria Falls, where he recently intervened in a high-profile corruption case. Defying public sentiment, he ordered the local authority to overturn the suspension of town clerk Ronnie Dube, who is facing corruption allegations. Residents, who had overwhelmingly supported Dube’s suspension, warned of a protracted legal battle if Garwe forced his reinstatement.
Through their lawyers, they argued that the minister was acting in direct opposition to the interests of the affected community.
Yet, in a brazen display of impunity, Garwe proceeded to reinstate the embattled town clerk on January 6. When questioned by the Independent, he contemptuously dismissed residents’ associations, branding them mere “burial societies”.
Such reckless disregard for transparency and public accountability only deepens the crisis of governance in Zimbabwe.
Citizens deserve leaders who prioritise their well-being, not self-enrichment and political expediency.
