By Senior Reporter
Harare, Zimbabwe – Over the weekend, news outlets reported that the Harare City Council had reclaimed the Fourth Street Bus Terminus from illegal touts and self-appointed rank marshals. While this is welcome news, the story raises more questions than answers.
Apparently, the Municipality had lost control of all its ranks, including Copacabana, Charge Office, Rezende, Market Square, and the now-reclaimed Fourth Street. It’s astonishing and unacceptable that individuals or a group of them could be more powerful than the entire council of the capital city. How did they lose control in the first place?
It’s absurd that the powers that be at Town House can proudly announce the reclamation of a bus terminus when they should be explaining how they allowed it to fall into the wrong hands. For a municipality that can request assistance from security forces when needed, it’s an insult to the residents of the capital city. They have been complaining about substandard service delivery for years, which the council has attributed to a lack of revenue.
It’s also oxymoronic for the Harare City Council to bemoan a lack of funds while allowing a cash cow to be run by criminals who should be brought to justice. This dereliction of duty should result in accountability and consequences. The figures reportedly collected by the criminals – nearly US$250,000 – make for sad reading. It’s also laughable that the council is collecting a mere US$800 from the Fourth Street rank when the illegals were collecting thousands.
The President has provided local authorities with a blueprint for improved service delivery, signaling the availability of state machinery to assist local authorities. One hopes the aristocrats running Harare will not continue ruining the former sunshine city when they can do something about it. As it stands, Harare is an eyesore, a mockery of its status as the capital of the nation.