Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The ruling Zanu PF party is planning to roll out “Operation Armageddon” that would see it taking over service delivery tasks in all urban areas from the MDC Alliance councils, an opposition official has claimed.
Former MDC-A Masvingo Central MP Jeffreyson Chitando last week told NewsDay that Operation Armageddon is part of Zanu PF efforts to lure urban voters who have voted for the opposition since 2000. He said:
Zanu PF is in panic mode as the urban voter population is rapidly increasing, while the rural population is drastically decreasing.
Operation Armageddon will see Zanu PF taking over the service delivery of urban areas from the MDC Alliance councillors.
The President (Mnangagwa) has instructed every ministry to identify areas of intervention in line with their ministries’ line of operation.
Roads, housing, sewage, refuse collections, education and health will be taken from city councils and placed under line ministries.
… Zanu PF is coming to cities armed with Zinara (Zimbabwe National Road Administration)’s millions of dollars to repair roads and then they will blame MDC Alliance councillors for failing to maintain the roads.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF provincial political commissar for Masvingo Jevas Masosota dismissed Chitando’s claims saying:
He is just hallucinating. It’s not Zanu PF that neglected service delivery for decades. Since the MDC took over councils in 2000 they proved that they were only good at talking. They only got into councils for self-aggrandisement — nothing else.
Zimbabwe’s urban dwellers have experienced poor service delivery over the years, including poorly maintained roads, burst sewer pipes, erratic water supplies and mountains of uncollected trash.
