HARARE – The Harare City Council has blamed its operational woes on continued meddling by Local Government Minister July Moyo and some Zanu PF linked gangs that have seized control of cash cow city facilities, preventing the cash-strapped local authority from collecting revenue out of them.

The opposition dominated local authority Wednesday unveiled a ZWL$213.427 billion budget for 2023 which it dubbed “an outward looking financial plan”.

Council committee chairperson for Finance and Development, Councillor Costa Mande chronicled the city’s nightmares in trying to restore smooth service delivery to rate payers saying central government’s overbearing influence on the running of the beleaguered local authority was a hindrance.

“We have very little space to de-couple Harare from both country and the government.

“We don’t have enough space to run council on our own mandate. Centre-Local remains one entity with the ‘centre’ more in charge.

“In a normal set up, the ministry responsible would be an enabler, a facilitator, and a catalyst for the good things a council seeks to do.

“This has not been the case as council has been operating with many directives which are not doing the city any good,” Mande said.

The Harare City Council is dominated by the Citizens Coalition for Change CCC), an arch-rival to Zanu PF.

But the running of the country’s largest local authority has been caught up in a fierce tug-of-war between the opposition and central government, through Moyo.

Moyo has been accused of colluding with MDC-T councillors – before CCC took over the affairs of the city – to sign some dubious deals feared to have dire consequences on the affairs of the city.

One of the deals is the $316 million contract inked with Geogenix BV to manage the Pomona dumpsite over the next 30 years.

The controversial waste-to-energy deal has been described as an unnecessary financial burden to an already struggling local authority.

In his remarks Wednesday, Mande said the local authority was also struggling to register informal traders operating in the city due to interference of ‘political groupings’.

“This sector has over the years, been characterised by political groupings battling for illegal control and dominance over space and infrastructure.

“The City has witnessed violent incidents in Mbare, there is need for political will across the divide for coordinated regulation and enforcement of the informal sector.

“This is critical as the nation prepares for the 2023 harmonised elections,” he said.