CHAOS has rocked local Government authorities amid reports the 10 recently appointed provincial development coordinators (PDC) have taken over the day to day running of municipalities, the Zim Morning Post has can report.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in August, appointed 10 PDCs whose mandate is to assist “Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs with technical and administrative support needed to promote economic growth, create jobs and uplift people’s living standards.”
In a statement, upon their appointments, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said key deliverables associated with growing the economy “lie at the heart of the national decentralisation and devolution agenda, which is to be achieved through coordinated planning, development and maintenance of requisite infrastructure, and the effective exploitation” of resource endowments in the various provinces.
“The PDCs are therefore, critical technical actors in the formulation of provincial growth and transformation strategies that are aligned to National Development Plans and will enable Zimbabwe to realise its vision to become an upper middle-income economy and society in 2030.”
However, investigations by the Zim Morning Post revealed that the PDCs are clashing with mayors, councillors and council management over their mandate.
“They have taken over the roles of the mayors and councillors. The council officials are given instructions without the knowledge of the mayors,” said one council official who requested anonymity.
“We are just told to attend unscheduled meetings and given instructions on what needs to be done.
“This has paralysed council operations as mayors who are supposed to play oversight role over council officials are being sidelined.”
The source said last week the Chitungwiza council management was just informed that demolitions have to take place when the councillors had agreed to stop the exercise.
“It is this confusion which has resulted in demolitions without court orders and will lead to massive losses as council will be sued,” said the source.
Councillors in Harare said Tafadzwa Muguti has become a defacto mayor running the show from Harare to Chitungwiza.
“Noone can control him now because he is a presidential appointee,” the source said.
“He has taken over the running of the municipalities and council employees now obey him more than they do to the mayors.”
