Suburban
Residents associations in Harare have welcomed the balance of power at Town House following the election of a woman deputy mayor.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Ward 41 Councillor Kudzai Kadzombe was elected to deputise Ward 18 Councillor Ian Makone who is the new Harare mayor.
The residents’ representative bodies said Cllr Kadzombe’s election is good for gender equality in decision making positions.
Zimbabwe Combined Residents and Ratepayers Association (ZICORRA) coordinator for Harare Mr Lawrence Kuleya said that in most communities, women are the most affected by service delivery issues which include lack of clean running water, uncollected refuse and poor service at council clinics.
Mr Kuleya suggested that residents must propose a law to always make it mandatory to have a female councillor occupying one of the mayoral posts as women’s issues have not been adequately represented in local government.
“In the past women have not been adequately represented in council chambers despite them being the most affected and being more knowledgeable about the situation on the ground in communities pertaining council issues as they have firsthand experience in these matters. When there is no water to use in households it is women that fully understand how hard it is to look for water from those with boreholes or from community boreholes. It is women who fully understand the problems that come with uncollected refuse as well as other matters associated with poor service delivery. So having a female deputy mayor is a step in the right direction,” he said.
Mr Kuleya encouraged the new mayor and deputy mayor to make an effort to visit all wards in the city and asses the problems residents are facing on the ground and make serious efforts to address them.
He urged the council leadership to work closely with residents’ associations.
“They must make it mandatory to monitor councillors under them and to get updates pertaining to issues in all wards in Harare. During their term of office, they must also make sure that every year they visit all wards in Harare physically as well and consult with residents of these wards. They can do this via councillors of these wards who should organise these meetings. They must also liaise with residents’ bodies, associations as well as other stakeholders and work with them towards the betterment of wards and communities in Harare. Above all they must listen to residents’ grievances and work towards creating long term plans of resolving issues affecting wards and communities,” said Mr Kuleya.
Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) director Mr Precious Shumba said that the new leadership at Town House has the residents’ full support and the election of a woman deputy mayor showed democracy is at work.
