CITY of Harare councillors wanted to push out a divisional head after he stuck to a government directive that the city fathers should be allocated residential stands in the wards they represent, fresh details emerged yesterday.
Harare wanted to transfer divisional head human services in charge of housing Fani Machipisa to the position of head of academic programmes at the Harare School of Excellence, a position that is within council structures, but not yet evaluated to determine whether the benefits he is getting are commensurate with the new posting.
While councillors claim Machipisa has refused to be promoted, fresh details emerged that it was a lateral transfer in which the official would retain the current conditions of service pending an evaluation of the new position.
It is understood that Machipisa appealed to Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe citing political victimisation by councillors.
“Machipisa was telling councillors to follow government rules in line with a recent circular which sets councillors allowances and perks,” a source said.
“He was telling them they could only be allocated stands in the areas from which they were elected. They saw Machipisa as a stumbling block and wanted him out.”
In a circular dated March 18, 2020, then Local Government ministry secretary Zvinechimwe Churu said the minister had granted permission to a councillor who does not have a residence within his/her ward to be allocated a single residential stand in their lifetime within that ward to build a home.
The circular said the residential stand may be sold to the councillor at a discount of 40% of the normal land value.
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The stand, the circular said, would be offered to the councillor on a lease with the option to buy, with payments being made in equal monthly instalments and completed before the end of the term of office of the councillor.
“Councillors from high-density areas want to be allowed to buy residential stands in leafy suburbs like Borrowdale or Mt Pleasant like what their counterparts used to do. The circular is very clear that councillors will only buy stands in the wards they were elected,” a source said.
It is understood that Zanu PF councillors, who appeared to be backing the move, are backtracking as they do not want to go against a government directive.
A Zanu PF councillor told NewsDay that he would not support a resolution that is contrary to a government directive.
“The transfer of Machipisa was improper when there is a commission of inquiry underway probing the city’s governance since 2017,” the councillor said.
“It is clear the issue of land allocation will be topical during the hearings and why the councillors wanted to remove the official in the midst of a probe remains a mystery.”
People are questioning why Harare plans to use ratepayers’ funds to venture into tertiary training at a time when service delivery has virtually collapsed in the Sunshine City.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume was not picking calls yesterday.
