Put politics aside new councillors challenged Mr Thaba Moyo
 Mr Thaba Moyo

Mr Thaba Moyo

Temba Dube
Senior Reporter
FORMER MDC-T mayor for Bulawayo Mr Thaba Moyo and his deputy Mr Amen Mpofu yesterday urged the new councillors to put politics aside and work closely with the Zanu-PF Government if they are to fulfil their mandate of developing the city. MDC-T won all the 29 council wards in Bulawayo during the 31 July harmonised elections. A clique of senior MDC-T officials including party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai have been advocating for a council that would oppose the Government at every turn.

However, in separate interviews yesterday, the former councillors said being a councillor meant rising above party politics.
“The people of Bulawayo come first. The party is an institution involving certain people but Bulawayo is a bigger institution made up people of different political persuasions.

The idea of opposing Government for the sake of opposing is very wrong and detrimental to the city. The idea is to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Local Government (Public Works and National Housing) to implement development programmes,” said Mr Mpofu.

He said working in opposition to Government institutions would be a big mistake that would backfire by stalling progress and development in Bulawayo.

Mr Mpofu said come election time, residents will demand to know what development programmes council would have implemented before deciding to vote them back into office or reject them.

“I am happy that some councillors were re-elected, so there is some experience to blend with. I have confidence in this council. If it fails to deliver, it would be due to political interference from some people who have no idea about civic issues,” said Mr Mpofu.

Mr Moyo concurred saying councillors should put aside politics and listen to what residents say. “Development is for the city and as long as councillors do not politicise issues, it will not be difficult to execute their mandate. They just have to work within the confines of the law such as the Urban Councils Act,” said Mr Moyo.

The two former councillors said they were proud of what council achieved during their tenure, saying a collapsed sewer system was revived and the city became the first in the country to have a call centre and a sewer and water master system.

“All these achievements and many others came about because we removed our political jackets when we went to the City Hall,” said Mr Moyo.

The councillors said Dr Ignatius Combo, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, was unfairly vilified by sections of the media and depicted as a witch hunter who was after frustrating MDC-T councillors.

“He is a fair and principled man. All he wanted was local authorities that provided efficient service to residents. As long as you are not corrupt, you have nothing to fear under him. If he was really after MDC-T councillors, he would have fired all Bulawayo councillors, starting with me because we opposed him most of the times. However, he never fired us because we did everything above board,” said Mr Mpofu.

Mr Moyo said councillors should be guided by council officials who had experience on civic issues. The two failed to make it to council after Mr Moyo lost in the primary elections and Mr Mpofu stepped down after allegedly being promised a senatorial post in the party, which some quarters say was a ruse to get rid of him.

 

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