HARARE mayor Jacob Mafume has sparked controversy after lavishing praise on President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF government for improving service delivery in the city.
In a dramatic move, Mafume, who is a councillor on a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party ticket, credited Mnangagwa’s administration for the progress made in Harare, despite the opposition’s long-standing complaints about government interference in local governance.
This dramatic change of stance has raised eyebrows, with observers viewing it as a sign of the death of opposition in Zimbabwe.
Speaking during the Zimbabwe Local Government Association Annual Indaba held in Harare last week, Mafume said he was misdirected by rejecting the controversial Geo Pomona waste management project as it was now benefiting the city.
Over 2 000 councillors from across the country attended the event.
“We must all be thankful for the guidance that we have received from the President,” Mafume said. “When the call to action was issued, some people thought it was a means to punish us. But we must all agree that it has been a means to help us do our jobs. So let's thank His Excellency for that. Harare needs to be more thankful to His Excellency.”
Mafume defended public criticism that the city fathers had failed to honour the commitment to make Harare a world-class city by 2025 saying Mnangagwa had done a lot to fulfil the commitment.
“So I was saying to them [the critics], if someone woke up in 2024 if they had died, they would be surprised that there was a world-class airport in Harare,” Mafume said. ‘They would also be surprised that there is a world-class Parliament [Building] in Mt Hampden. They would also be surprised that there is a world-class road on the western side of Harare.
- HCC violates Pomona deal
- Police smoke out Mbare violence leaders
- Sakunda needs to reconsider on Rufaro
- Belarus deals: ED priming himself for long stay
Keep Reading
“They would be surprised that there is a world-class junction at Mbudzi where the road starts. They would also be surprised that there is Joina City in the middle of the city. So Vision 2025 was built in 2022.
“And I want to say that government is assisting Harare in achieving that vision. What is needed is for us as councils to complement that vision by providing the software. That is the service delivery issues around waste collection and waste management.”
Mafume was elected mayor under protest from CCC bigwigs for the second term after the recall of former mayor Ian Makone by self-imposed interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu.
