Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
HARARE Mayor Councillor Ian Makone is under fire for snubbing Provincial Development Committee (PDC) meetings as well as not recognising the leadership of President Mnangagwa.
Cllr Makoni on Wednesday snubbed a PDC meeting to map way for the development of Harare Metropolitan province by providing adequate service delivery.
The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Chitungwiza Cllr Lovemore Maiko, Epworth Local Board chairperson Cllr Anna Sande and senior officials for the province’s local boards.
Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province Mr Tafadzwa Muguti said Cllr Makone’s behaviour showed that he was anti-development and was not willing to work with Government.
Mr Muguti however, commended the Mayor of Chitungwiza and the chairperson of Epworth for supporting Government initiatives.
“It is very disturbing that the Mayor of the City of Harare has decided not to recognise the office of the Minister of State,” he said.
“He was cordially invited to several meetings now and we have been informed that he is choosing to continue with the political rhetoric and as it is he does not recognise the office of the Minister of State and by extension he does not recognise the office of the President and Cabinet.
“We have also seen comments in their media briefings that he continues to identify the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe as their party president Nelson Chamisa. From us as Government we have been encouraging political appointees to say the time of politics is done when you are elected”.
Mr Muguti said when a person is elected to be a mayor, he or she ceases to be a mayor of the party but a mayor of the people in the city or town they are representing.
“We need to build the country together and when you become a mayor, you are not a mayor of CCC but a mayor of the City of Harare and that is what we have been trying to address but we are also seeing that there are some of them who want to play with mud and they will obviously get dirty,” he said.
“My office is ready to deal with any form of behaviour which basically splits the province into two and we cannot work like that.
“We have been having a wonderful working relationship with the City of Harare and it has been very progressive.
“We do not interfere with their operations but they need to be aligned to the National Development Strategy 1 and that is what these meetings are trying to do, to align to the national Vision 2030. If the City of Harare is choosing not to identify with Vision 2030 and NDS1 and the State coming up with 100-day programmes, it is not aligned to what others are doing, that does not work.”
He said members of the public should know that by-laws were not the laws of the country which were Acts of Parliament. Every by-law is subservient to an Act of Parliament.