Story by Wellington Makonese
IN the once Sunshine City of Harare, poor service delivery has spiralled out of hand, as the local authority’s inefficiencies have birthed illegal settlements, poor waste management and an unending water crisis, among a host of challenges.
Harare residents expressed their disappointment as they have lived for a long time without standard service delivery.
“We barely have water here in Kuwadzana 3 when it comes it’s either dirty or just for a few minutes,” said a disgruntled resident.
“I don’t remember the day we had streetlights, yet they want money. The calibre of councillors we choose at times impact negatively on us,” said another resident.
Another displeased resident said, “I think the city fathers need to improve on their billing system, the issue of charging people on estimates is backward and shortchanging.”
“As vehicle operators, the council need to see to it that roads are patched because we continuously lose out on maintenance,” said a Harare vehicle operator.
The City of Harare has witnessed high-profile arrests over the years due to corruption and reports that it has been operating without reliable accounting and billing systems have further plunged the local authority into an accountability mess.
