Suburban
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) says residents’ proposals for the capital city’s budget for 2024 were varied and the recent rejection of the budget by central Government has been met with mixed views.
HRT director Mr Precious Shumba made the observation while addressing a meeting to discuss the rejection of the budget in Harare last week.
Speaking at a Local Governance Policy dialogue meeting: Government’s Rejection of the City of Harare 2024 budget; Is it Justifiable or Unacceptable? held at Jameson Hotel recently, Mr Shumba said Harare Residents Trust held around four community meetings last year where residents’ priorities for the budget were diverse.
“And the priorities of residents are diverse.
“They point out to the failure by the City of Harare to produce a billing system that is functional, that is transparent.
“A lot of bills are estimated and people are really confused. They have argued that the more you pay, the more the council imposes more debts on you.
“As a ratepayer, what is the way forward; should I pay and get charged more money?
“Should I stop paying and receive a letter of demand from using a faulty billing system?” he said.
Mr Shumba said the city has thousands of water meter readers but it was relying on estimates to bill water, which is not readily available most of the times.
“If you check your bills, they actually put water consumption figures and they put meter readings.
“Are they prophets such that they can actually put exact figures to say start and someone consumes seven, eight (cubic) kilometres when they (residents) are at their offices most of their time. Their (residents’) children spend most of the time at school and they are said to have consumed eight cubic kilometres.
“We have requested people to check the water meters at their properties and what have they seen?
“Even the start has not yet arrived in reality.
“What it means is that the city needs to clean up its act in terms of the billing system.
“But that alone does not give the Government the right to interfere in the administrative governance of the local authority because the Constitution empowers a local authority to initiate whatever they desire through a council resolution.
“And when they make policies, they do not need another tier of Government to countermand that policy.
“This is where we are saying why would a Constitution provide for a collaborative and cooperative governance?
“The Government is determined to pursue a supervisory kind of management which means they are not going to implement devolution,” he said.
Mr Shumba said residents wanted the City of Harare to be accountable and transparent.
“Residents want their local authority to be more accountable to them and be fully accountable to them. But they do not want national Government to come any time and again and issue directives that go against the spirit of community development. We want to hold the mayor fully accountable for decisions that he is fully in control,” he said.
