By Correspondent
Harare City Council is failing to employ new contract workers to carry out drain and garbage clearance as the Ministry of Local Government has refused to readily sanction the move.
According to minutes of the Environmental Management Committee (EMC) the authorities have requested for approval from Minister July Moyo’s Ministry but none has been given.
“Meeting of the EMC of 5th September 2022 resolved to employ contract workers to specifically clear the pumps, anti litter monitoring and street cleaning as detailed in item 8 of July 12, 2022 agenda.
“The said resolution has not been fully implemented because the express approval for such from the parent Ministry of Local Government was not granted.
“Further follow up of the same with the ministry has not yielded success and recruitment of the said workers is still pending, awaiting authority and approval,” it said.
Council has since expressed concern at the lack of approval to recruit these contract workers, as dumps continue to mount.
“As council we implore the ministry to urgently attend to this issue as the EMC is deeply concerned with this inertia.
“We however, remain committed to expeditiously deal with these environmental challenges affecting our City even as the rainy season is upon us.
This stalemate becomes the latest frontier in the attritional warfare between the opposition controlled Harare Council and ZANU PF controlled parent Ministry.
The opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has repeatedly accused ZANU PF of using state institutions to sabotage various Council programs in a bid to gain political mileage.
However, ZANU PF has denied the allegations instead accusing the city fathers of incompetence.