Residents Condemn Takeover Of Local Authorities – CHRA

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Residents Condemn Takeover Of Local Authorities – CHRA
Residents Condemn Takeover Of Local Authorities – CHRA

Africa-PressZimbabwe. The Combined Residents Association (CHRA) has condemned the alleged plan by the central government to set up a Ministerial Task-Force that will be in charge of failed local government authorities. CHRA said:

The residents of Harare condemned allegations emanating from some sections of the media that the government intends to set up an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce to be in charge of local authorities.

The move come at a time when the government has been touting devolution of governmental power and functions to lower tiers of government. Mr David Sibanda, a Kambuzuma resident said:

_The central government by taking control of local authorities is not only abusing the constitution but killing lower tiers of government._

A local government expert who spoke on conditions of anonymity blasted the idea, “we expect the government to capacitate these local authorities not taking over, this is purely bad governance.”

At a recently conducted National Devolution Indaba in Harare Residents Association representatives expected the government to give local authorities latitude to “self-govern” as provided in section 276 of the constitution while the government set standards and strengthen capacities of the local authorities through training.

The constitution of Zimbabwe now recognizes local authorities as constitutional establishments and as lower tiers of government, despite this arrangement, there have been machinations of take-over of “underperforming” urban local authorities through government appointments.

CHRA warns that the continued de-concentration or increase of the presence of the central government in our local governance system will retard development as it has the potential of throwing citizens to the periphery of local governance.

More: Pindula News

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