PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Spokesperson George Charamba has suggested that he invokes Presidential Powers and take over control of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) run Harare City Council.
Posting on X, Charamba argued that infighting within the CCC had incapacitated Harare’s council against a ‘raging cholera’ outbreak.
The opposition party is currently embroiled in a tug-of-war for power which threatens to cost Mayor Jacob Mafume’s position.
He stands accused of siding with self-appointed Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu who has been withdrawing opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s legislators and Councillors at will.
Although Mafume was fired by Chamisa on Tuesday, the decision is yet to affect him as Local Government Minister Winston Chitando has already been told not to announce a vacancy for his post by state favourite Tshabangu.
Despite government battling to contain the national disaster Charamba believes a takeover of the capital’s administration would go a long way in reversing failures of CCC’s administration.
“With the paralysis which CCC infighting has wrought on City of Harare,and given the raging cholera pandemic, it is about time (the) Local Government Minister approached His Excellency the President with the proposal to use Presidential Powers to bring Harare Municipality under direct State administration.
“There is a good case now using the public health argument. The State is doing much of the work anyway!” said Charamba using his @dhonzamusoro007 account on X.
Since the pandemic’s February outbreak 18,623 cases have been recorded, with Harare accounting for 6,789, the highest of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces.
56 suspected deaths have been recorded in Harare, the official epicentre of this recent cholera outbreak.
As if to mock fissures within the CCC, Charamba suggested appointing the ‘fired’ Mafume to head a team that would be appointed by Mnangagwa to rehabilitate council and manage the cholera outbreak.
“Even better politics would be to reappoint doink- Mafume – to lead the new rescue creature created under Presidential Powers zvizhakane ikoko,” he added.
There seems no end in sight for the pandemic which has been exported to Limpopo and Zambia according to media reports that reveal two Zimbabweans are being treated in South Africa while the Northern neighbours have already begun emergency measures.
Zimbabwe has had constant cholera outbreaks since the early 2000s most of which have caused headaches for its government as there are not enough hospitals, nurses, doctors and resources to handle it. – NewZim
