By ALBERT MASAKA

THE Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) is scaling new heights in building a brighter community for future generations in ward 18 with ambitious plans to upgrade the local council clinic into a state-of-the-art medical facility, construct a modern recreational facility, and develop further its waste separation centre commissioned today.

The Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) chairman Robert Mutyasira said this today at the official handover ceremony of three community projects to the City of Harare.

These projects include a newly constructed bus stop and shelter along Crowhill Road at the Helensvale Business Centre, a beautifully manicured garden to enhance the area’s aesthetic appeal, the development of a waste separation centre and the upgrade of Borrowdale Clinic.

Mutyasira highlighted the importance of community development in nation-building at a ceremony officiated by a represanataive of the Minister of Provincial Affairs, Harare Metropolitan Province Senator Charles Tavengwa and attended by Hrare East MP Kiven Mutimbanyoka.

“Community development precedes national development,” he said.

“It’s the fundamental building block in transforming an entire nation. Unless we take deliberate action to own and develop our communities, we’re on a path to failure.”

Mutyasiri said these initiatives align with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s  mantra, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” (the country is built by its owners).

He added, “Every action has consequences, and the journey to building robust and resilient communities is never easy. But we must embark on it nonetheless.”

He reminded residents in his ward who had been lured by the ambience, aesthetics, order  and decorum  associated with ward 18, that all this was a result of the work done by his predecessors

“The affluence associated with the suburbs of this ward was not imposed, it was not created at Town House, it was at one time an agenda, a vision and a burden of like-minded individuals.”

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume represented by  councillor Stanley Manyanga, applauded the collaboration between the two service delivery organisations.

“To the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association: from the bottom of my heart thank you, You have set a new standard for civic engagement, You have shown us that when residents and council work together  nothing is impossible, you are not just part of the city, you are  engine of its progress.”

GOVERNMENT has temporarily suspended the allocation of State land until an efficient and transparent system that ensures urban State land is key in facilitating sustainable and functional developments is in operation.

According to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, the moratorium will pave the way for the finalisation of the ongoing process that are reviewing and strengthening existing policy framework and guidelines on the administration and management of Urban State Land.

“In the interest of the public, the Government of Zimbabwe wishes to advise the nation of measures being put in place to enhance the administration and management of Urban State Land.

“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is mandated to administer, on behalf of His Excellency, the President, Cde Dr E.D. Mangagwa, Urban State Land, itself a finite heritage resource that is central to the national development thrust as espoused in the National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030.

The ministry implored stakeholders including the general public to be patient while the Ministry concludes the process.

“It is therefore imperative that an efficient and transparent system is put in place to ensure that Urban State Land plays a role in facilitating sustainable and functional developments.

“The Ministry therefore wishes to announce the imposition, with immediate effect, of a moratorium on allocation of Urban State Land until further notice.”

President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently  issued June 30 as the deadline for all local authorities to have approved master plans.

At that time only eight of 92 councils had approved plans, making it difficult for the rest of the local authorities to plan for the improvement and delivery of services.

Chitungwiza municipality was this week rescued by Prophet Walter Magaya who is funding the cash-strapped council’s master plan.

By ALBERT MASAKA

THE City of Harare is skeptical of the accuracy of revenue figures provided by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) saying this has also resulted in council receiving paltry sums that are financially crippling road rehabilitation and maintenance progrrammes.

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said this during a meet-and greet meeting for editors that he hosted  in the capital on Friday.

The meeting by Mafume was in line with the City of Harare’s recent  decision to put residents and other stakeholders at the centre of its agenda by communicating council’s challenges, good developments, plans and achievements.

Mafume revealed that Zinara was still using 2014 vehicle count statistics that are not a true reflection of the current population of vehicles subjected to licensing by the road authority in the capital city.

He gave context of some of the challenges facing the city in a light-hearted address to members of the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum.

“The other major challenge after waste management is the roads that are now Zinara’s baby.  My example was that you cannot take a muroora momuisa uku, then you build the bedroom somewhere and expect babies. It’s not going to happen, you need to get them a bedroom.

HARARE MAYOR JACOB MAFUME

He lamented the fact that Zinara was getting the money yet the City of Harare is expected to build the roads.

To put it into perspective every year Zinara has given us US$2 million per month. The money goes to Zinara, and we are having a dispute on the number of cars that are in Harare.

“Zinara says they are 250 000, I am arguing that they are 800 000 cars in Harare, certainly that was the figure they gave in 2014 when they last did a vehicle count, and they are keeping that figure faithfully but the traffic jam is unbelievable.”

Mafume insisted that if Zinara was to disburse to his council  just half of what it collects the capital city’s road  challenges would be over.

“Because at US$40  per car, and even if I take their argument that there are 250 000 cars that will come to  about US$40 million per quarter, with US$20 million per quarter I will do the roads because I  will use our quarry and we will buy an asphalt plant  and we will continuously make the roads.

He reiterated that the only way forward was for Harare to do the work.

According to the 2015 audit report Mafume said Zinara received  US$64 million from road user fees, and allocated the City of Harare  a paltry US$2 million.

He added that in the same report Zinara got US$64 million  from fuel levy and did not give council a single cent yet the most fuel is used in Harare.

“ Carbon tax they got about US$7 million in 2015 and we never got a cent, that’s why we don’t have machines  in Harare a to measure pollution and policing and so forth that is what the carbon tax is supposed to do.”

On the issue of toll gates Mafume said it defied logic that motorists pay to get out of Harare and pay to get into Harare but Zinara takes all the money.

“So if the context is that you are paying to get into the highway then consequently you are paying to get into the Harare roads so why does Zinara take all the money? It a challenge

He also took a swipe at the model Zinara was using in the city that was focused on engaging big road contractors.

“You cannot make the roads of a city using the model that they are using of working with big contractors because sometimes in a city you have to do three kilometres you have to do 10 km, you have to do a crescent, now a big company cannot set up a plant.

“For example they once made the mistake of contracting the 1km stretch near Southerton Police Station, now expecting a big company to put up its plant, but it doesn’t work.