Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume says the local authority has changed its committee leaders to address perennial service delivery problems amid a power struggle in the Council led by the Citizens Alliance for Change.
Mafumi became the third CCC councilor to be elected mayor since the August 2023 elections last month
Following the step taken by the self-imposed Secretary General of the party, Singiso Chabangu, to summon Ian Makone and Lovejoy Chitengo.
On Friday he chaired a dramatic meeting of the full council after some CCC councilors tried to oust him.
Blessing Duma, CCC ward 43 councilor, tried to block the meeting with the support of a few of his party colleagues.
Dumas was said to be dissatisfied with the move to remove him from the influential House Audit Committee.
Mafumi said he called a special full council meeting to address service delivery issues and reconstitute some committees after Chabangu summoned a number of council members.
“We held a special meeting of the full council at the Town House,” he told the Standard.
“We discussed issues related to service delivery and waste collection. We changed some committees and reconstituted the committees in light of the summonses.
“Of course, we had a council member who wanted to disrupt a special meeting of the full council because he feared being removed from his committee.
“We need to streamline and reconfigure the committees.”
The mayor said that the water and health committees submitted reports on the current situation of water and cholera in the capital.
The Duma described the special council meeting as illegal.
“This is the politics that is happening in the Harare City Council,” he said.
“Mayor Jacob Mafume wanted to reconstitute the committees, and you can only reconstitute the committees if they are agreed upon in both councils or immediately after the general elections.”
Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Taxpayers Fund, said Duma’s behavior was inappropriate.
“Councilor Blessing Duma is a former City of Harare Traffic Department employee,” Shumba said.
“He allegedly committed serious crimes, went to a hearing and was discharged from the council for his alleged acts of misconduct.
“He is the current chair of the Audit Committee, which is an important committee that is supposed to lead the establishment of good accountability systems in the Council.”
Robin Akili, spokesman for the Harare Joint Residents Association, said there was a need for stability in the townhouse.
“At this moment we do not need disturbances in the Townhouse,” Aqili said.
“As much as these people have their own political battles, they are working against service delivery.
“What we want is to provide services. It’s been a worrying trend to see these fights.” standard
