16 January 2018 – HARARE residents have called for parliamentary intervention as a way of addressing the continued rot at the Harare City Council.

The residents made the call during a workshop held in the capital on January 11, 2018.Concern was raised that parliament has focused more on central government issues while paying a blind eye to issues affecting local authorities.

It was pointed out during the workshop that poor service delivery was mostly as a result of corruption and abuse of public resources at Harare City Council hence the need for parliament to act.

Residents expressed concern over water unavailability as well as poor water quality which in some cases has resulted in needless loss of life.

The residents also pointed out that the move by the Harare City Council to increase water charges will affect access to water especially given the current economic environment in the country.

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) Chief Executive Officer, Mfundo Mlilo in his presentation during the workshop said the rot at the Harare City Council has led to massive violation of residents’ fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution.

He said parliament ought to intervene and ensure transparency and accountability at the Harare City Council.

“There are questions over how the $144 Million loan from China was used and this is a clear case that calls for parliament to intervene. There is also the issue of council bigwigs awarding themselves huge perks and there is a lot of secrecy surrounding the use of public resources at council. There are serious governance and financial questions that require urgent intervention by parliament,” said Mlilo.

According to Mlilo, issues that parliament ought to investigate include the issue of ward retention funds, city bank accounts as well as water procurement costs.

There was consensus among residents over the need to petition parliament over the rot at Harare City Council.