MDC-T councillors fight over posts

Harare councillors are allegedly employing dirty tactics to outflank each other to lead the standing committees in the city council.

It is understood that heavy lobbying, backbiting and factionalism have hit Harare, as councillors jostle for the chairmanship of the critical committees.

Council committees are responsible for detailed examination of the issues facing the council.

They do the bulk of the work, in private, and only their final recommendations are presented to the full council. Most committee decisions are endorsed with little or no debate.

Recommendations to employ and hire out services and to buy goods and services are first dealt with at committee level before the full council sits.

Because of the power vested in committee chairpersons, secret meetings to outmanoeuvre each other for the top posts have become the order of the day.

Some of the fights are allegedly influenced by greed following reports that some councillors could be favoured by suppliers of goods and services.

By virtue of being chairpersons of committees certain councillors were able to "amass wealth including vehicles", one councillor said.

In separate interviews, councillors confirmed that the process to choose their leaders was fraught with dirty tactics that included false allegations of corruption against each other.

Councillors seen to despise the capacity of others were left out as the different factions in council emerged.

Clr Tungamirai Madzokere was kicked out as chairman of the information and publicity committee and replaced by Clr Langton Mbira, who is deputised by Clr Exevia Vengesayi.

Clr Panganayi Charumbira and his deputy Clr Friday Muleya retained the leadership of the human resources committee uncontested.

Clr Phumulani Musagwiza was elected to lead the audit committee with Clr Audrey Chirombe as his deputy while Clr Joshua Nyatsuro outpaced Clr Julius Musevenzi for the chairmanship of the health, education and housing committee.

Former deputy chairman of the business committee Clr Wellington Chikombo beat his former boss in the committee, Clr Casper Takura.

Clr Herbert Gomba retained chairmanship of the environmental management committee.Elections to choose chairpersons for the finance and procurement committees are yet to be held amid serious jockeying for the powerful posts.

One of the councillors said that councillors who viewed themselves as educated and above the class of their colleagues had received the boot.

The issue of council committees attracted attention when Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda clashed with the councillors over the reconstitution of the committees with each side trading accusations of favouritism and incompetence.

Councillors accused Mr Masunda of being biased towards a few "blue-eyed" councillors by appointing them to serve in more than two committees including local government bodies.

But Mr Masunda defended his action arguing that he had appointed the few councillors to more committees based on the councillors’ special skills.