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HARARE – The Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Municipality may not meet next week’s deadline to submit their long-term development blueprints to government, a key requirement set out by President Mnangagwa last year.
The Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, confirmed the progress during a recent inspection of the Victoria Falls Urban Renewal Programme.
In 2022, President Mnangagwa directed all local authorities to develop comprehensive master plans to guide urban renewal and improve service delivery across the country. The deadline for submitting these master plans is June 30, which is fast approaching.
Minister Garvey was generally satisfied with the progress made by most local governments, but he expressed great concern about the situation in Harare and Chitungwiza. “I am happy to report that most of our local governments are meeting their deadlines,” he said.
“We are in Victoria Falls; they met yesterday (Wednesday) to finalise the master plan and the estimate list, which has been completed. Most local authorities will meet the June 30 deadline. However, Harare and Chitungwiza are lagging behind.”
Minister Garvey pointed to lack of commitment, inadequate capacity or inefficiency as potential reasons for the slow progress in Harare and Chitungwiza. “The only councils that appear to be facing significant challenges are Harare and Chitungwiza,” he noted. “The government will take different approaches to address the situation in Harare and Chitungwiza.”
Despite spending nearly $3 million to develop a master plan, Harare has failed to keep pace with most other local authorities. In contrast, the Victoria Falls Municipality has reported significant progress. Victoria Falls Town Secretary, Mr Ronnie Dube, stressed that their master plan is close to completion. “Our master plan is close to completion,” Dube said. “We completed the written statement yesterday (Wednesday) and it has received overwhelming support from residents and stakeholders. Now, we just need parliamentary approval.”
As the June 30 deadline approaches, pressure is mounting on Harare and Chitungwiza to step up and comply with government directives to ensure comprehensive urban development and improved services. The government’s response to these delays will be closely watched in the coming days. – The Sunday Mail
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