Story by Theophilus Chuma
THE disarray within the management of Harare City Council, as revealed through the ongoing Commission of Inquiry, has extended to the city’s roads.
There have been alarming revelations that the traffic management system in Harare is in a state of disrepair with compelling evidence pointing to the failure of the system, with traffic accidents increasingly characterising numerous intersections across the city, primarily due to non-functional traffic lights.
The city fathers have acknowledged that Harare’s traffic management infrastructure is severely compromised, operating at a mere half of its installed capacity.
“We only have 103 traffic lights that are working while the other 150 are not functioning. It’s a serious challenge that we have,” said Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume.
While the city’s infrastructure bleeds, executives at Town House are fattening their pockets with evidence presented at the Commission of Inquiry showing the Town Clerk’s monthly salary is pegged at US$27 000.
The total salary bill for executives was estimated at half a million United States dollars monthly, prioritised over the cost of repairing damaged infrastructure.
Harare’s traffic situation has degenerated into a jungle, ranging from traffic accidents to unmanageable traffic congestion.
“The situation of traffic lights is really a worry for Harare. If you look at the cost on human life it’s quite obvious that the prevailing situation poses a huge risk to motorists but also the impact can be felt on economic activity as well,” said Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe managing director, Mr Munesushe Munodawafa.
Experts have denounced the lethargy at Harare City Council which has affected service delivery.
The local authority is currently in the eye of a storm with allegations of corruption that have seen the council losing millions of dollars in potential revenue.
