Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has jumped to his Bulawayo counterpart Martin Moyo’s defence, over the latter’s acquisition of a top-of-the range car a year before elections.
Manyenyeni took to social media to argue that Bulawayo residents needed to accept the car, which will be used by successive mayors going forward.
While acknowledging Moyo’s mounting troubles over the vehicle, Manyenyeni said he has had to use alternatives.
Manyenyeni, however, indicated Bulawayo has the capacity to buy its mayor the expensive car.
“The City of Kings (Bulawayo) is our second largest city and is bigger than some government ministries which are headed by ministers and deputies with two cars which they walk away with – no excuse, but just to compare. The mayor heads the best-run municipality in the country – having enjoyed significant levels of independence from central government for many years,” he said.
Manyenyeni added that Bulawayo has also largely been spared Harare’s run-ins with the Local Government ministry.
“This has allowed the Bulawayo city managers to be very professional – with obvious results. Bulawayo politicians across the divide have (in the past) defended their municipality to run without too much politicking from Harare.
Their mayor is probably busier than most MPs and some ministers. ‘His’ current car has seen its better days.
“I know that black BT50 Mazda double-cab well. Mayoral jobs in Zimbabwe are impossible missions – largely because of the rough political terrain, the non-executive template, and poor resources (collection and management),” he said.
According to Manyenyeni, there was failure to understand the “underlying” issues to service delivery, adding “three or so council managers (out of nearly 50 of them) can gobble the same cost per month as all 45 councillors and mayor combined”.
The Harare mayor has had a proposal to reduce salaries of city executives blocked by councillors.
“Our residents don’t even bother to understand that … we are just labelled as one greedy bunch. I don’t know how many times I have been accused of enjoying my big fat salary,” he said.
While arguing he has had to defer Harare’s purchase of the mayor’s $200 000 executive car, he had reduced the budget to $70 000, Manyenyeni told Bulawayo residents.
“To the residents and ratepayers, please, receive the new mayoral (not mayor’s) vehicle without protest. Look after it well … it is yours and it does not really kill service delivery, check out the numbers!” Manyenyeni said.
Moyo took delivery of the Mercedes Benz recently, causing an uproar in the city. – Newsday
Nonsense, no mayor deserves that much to be spent on a car when medicines, sewage, water problems bedevil Councils all over the country. The problem with MDC councils is that they are no different from zanupf ones in that they are selfish. How can an MDC Mayor justify the spending of $200,000 on car in a bankrupt, disfunctioning economy with 90% unemployment, where people are surviving on a $1 or less a day. There are cars from Japan at 10% of the price quoted and they can do the job. We have to live within our means . We are not in London, Paris and even Johannesburg. The problem Zimbabweans we are now facing is that where are we going to get people who are really interested in the welfare of ordinary people and not their selfish narrow interests. Am really really disappointed with Mayor Manyenyeni. MDC should have a real self examination.
Just sheer Greed even if one used an ordinary vehicle or rode a bicycle which is the healthy alternative one can do the job
This Bulawayo Mayor must have someone pulling the strings for him
1.Read an article The Council want to build a mayors mansion in Hillside for what even if one lived in a hut they could still live comfortably
2, The council is wanting to instal Wifis in the homes of these councillors and when they step down or unelected the wifis of course will remain in their homes this is unacceptable
When the murugus were running the municipality there was not such a thing
The roads are potholed throught out the country and here we have greedy mayors wanting to live life to the full at the expense of the ordinary people
The Bulawayo Residnts Association must be asked to comment