Harare's service delivery crisis: A blame game wit...

Harare's service delivery crisis: A blame game within the opposition-led council

Zim Now Writer

The City of Harare is facing a severe service delivery crisis, with residents suffering from chronic water shortages, uncollected garbage, non-functional street lighting, and haphazard town planning. A recent revelation by Cecilia Chimbiri, the chairperson of the CoH's Environmental Management Committee, has shed light on the underlying causes of the city's woes: a lackadaisical approach and a preoccupation with personal agendas by 'lazy and incompetent' employees and councillors.

Chimbiri's testimony before the Commission of Inquiry into issues bedevilling the local authority has sent shockwaves through the city. The commission, chaired by Retired Justice Maphios Cheda, was established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May 2024 to investigate the challenges facing Harare.

Despite being a prominent member of the Citizens' Coalition for Change, which controls the municipality, Chimbiri has not shied away from criticizing her own party's leadership. She has accused CoH officials of prioritizing personal agendas over the needs of the city's residents.

"We do have a lazy kind of leadership that is not prepared to move forward and to make service delivery a priority in this city," Chimbiri told commissioners. She alleged that instead of providing solutions, City Fathers have been pulling in different directions, resulting in a lack of progress and a decline in service delivery standards.