Mafume Accused of Playing ‘Puppet’ Role as Govt Takes Control

By Loyd Matare

Residents Associations have come out guns blazing, accusing Harare City Council Mayor Jacob Mafume of playing puppet role whilst giving the government full control of city council’s key infrastructure and services.

The mayor is also under scrutiny for his handling of city-owned businesses, which have been plagued by mismanagement and corruption allegations.

However, Residents Associations argue that Mafume has failed to assert the council’s autonomy, instead allowing the government to dictate key decisions by giving all of its services to private players.

The situation has been exacerbated by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, with Mafume himself admitting that over US$250 million has been lost due to abuse and the refusal of top officials to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

ALSO READ: What if the City of Harare Ceases to Exist?

The city’s failure to procure a new ERP system since 2019 has resulted in shambolic billing, low revenue collection, and poor service delivery.

Despite these challenges, the government has taken control of key infrastructure and services, including the Morton Jaffray water works, which has been handed over to a private company, Hangzhou Laidon Technology Company and Helcraw Electricity.

This move has sparked debate among residents, with many questioning the government’s motives and the impact on the city’s autonomy.

As it stands, the city’s once thriving power station was taken over by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), while the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) now controls all roads, leaving the council dependent on disbursements from ZINARA to fix roads and Geo Pomona now controlling service delivery, further diminishing the council’s role.

As the city’s autonomy continues to erode, residents are left wondering what the future holds for Harare. Will the government’s consolidation of power lead to improved services and governance, or will it further entrench corruption and undermine local democracy?

Speaking to AfroGazette news, Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba accused Mafume of acting beyond his authority and prioritising the interests of his handlers in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works over residents.

He added that his actions are deemed a betrayal of the council, as he supports the takeover of key services by private companies chosen by the national government.

“Cllr Mafume is behaving like he has executive authority over the affairs of the City of Harare. His actions do not represent the interests of Harare residents but those of his handlers who seem to be resident in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

“He has betrayed the council by playing the role of a puppet leader who lacks the legitimacy to make the dubious decisions he is currently making on behalf of the City of Harare.

“As the HRT, we reject his support for the takeover of the Pomona Dumpsite and waste management functions by Geo Pomona Waste Management (Private) Limited. He has supported the involvement of private contractors being chosen by the national government on behalf of the City of Harare.

“History will judge him harshly as a puppet mayor serving the corrupt interests of government ministers and bureaucrats. There is nothing of benefit to the residents of Harare in everything he is spearheading,” Shumba fumed.

He however stated that the City of Harare is being systematically stripped of its key functions by the government, which has handed over control to private players with strong ties to senior government officials.

“The City of Harare is being systematically stripped of its key functions by the national government through private players with strong ties to senior government officials. This is totally opposed to the devolution provisions in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act of 2013. This is not by mistake but deliberate.

“The government does not want to implement devolution. The cabinet and senior government bureaucrats fear losing their powers and responsibilities if devolution is fully implemented. The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) urges the government to implement the constitution in full and stop crippling local authorities through privatisation of essential social services.

“Waste Management, water supply, markets, and vehicle licensing have all been removed from the City of Harare,” he said.

On his part, Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) director Reuben Akili echoed Shumba’s sentiments stating that the takeover of Morton Jaffray water treatment plant by a private company is seen as another instance of public assets being stripped and handed over to elite individuals.

“We vehemently oppose the takeover of Morton Jaffray water treatment plant to a private company. This is the continued stripping of public assets and handing them over to individual elites. It’s very unfortunate that the government is pursuing this agenda which has nothing to do with residents but most importantly to serve the egos of the elites.

“It is unfortunate that we privatise water at a time where even in the developed countries they are also handing back water to the public institutions… This unilateral decision does not involve residents… and over the years we have seen the continued death of our local government system.

“For now it is prudent that the government is taking over our local government roles, which is bad and such decisions are made without full council resolutions… and this if it continues to happen it will then create room for corruption and abuse of authority.

“What the ministry of Local Government is doing is a direct attack of devolution provided for in the constitution of Zimbabwe, it is unfortunate that these people do not even respect the constitution,” Akili said.