FORMER Harare mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni has trashed the capital's attempts at achieving world class city status, saying it is a pipe dream which should just be buried.
Manyenyeni, who was in office from 2013 to 2018, said until conditions that allowed Harare to be run like a normal metropolis were restored, the local authority's dream would never come true.
City of Harare (CoH) had been targeting to have turned the capital into a world class city by 2025, a target it missed dismally.
Attempts by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to sell the idea of it having taken steps towards achieving this target have been dismissed.
Access to basic provisions such as clean potable water remain a challenge for most of the overpopulated city's residents, sewer, dirt, potholes, and general lack of effort have troubled the capital's governance.
"Finally, the dream dies, 2025 is here today. I shed no tears," said Manyenyeni.
"I disowned this misplaced mantra some years ago when I was still leading this council.
"As usual, there was a sustained attempt to carry the empty noises on...to as late as last night (31 December)."
Manyenyeni did not wholly heap the blame on council, but he raised issues with laws which govern councils, central government interference, a lack of infrastructure and questioned the readiness of residents and ratepayers to embrace change.
The mess, he said, must be blamed on a 2013 directive by the Local Government ministry to pardon debts amounting to US$300 million, owed to council.
Another directive to award bosses at local authorities hefty allowances was also fingered as another reason for the financial woes facing CoH.
Both affected his tenure, he alleged.
The ex-premier highlighted that had those directives not been issued, at least US$2 billion would have been realised by council.
Added Manyenyeni: "This was close to 30 months' revenues -- with zero compensation from the government.
"HCC has not yet recovered from both the direct and indirect pains of those ministerial signatures.
"My own estimate is that the indirect costs of just those two directives add another US$2 billion minimum hemorrhage to Harare City Council.
"Until there is convergence of power with willpower in what must be done, there is no room for positive dreams for the city.
"Nightmares will be the order of the broad day. Until the key ingredients of running even a normal city are restored, forget about a world-class city."
Manyenyeni further poked holes into the 'dream' by questioning the manner of governance at Town House where top officials continue facing arrests on spurious allegations of corruption, abuse of office and various other crimes.
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He mocked it, saying CoH could just be targeting a world record.
"Municipalities draw a lot of support from the goodwill they carry," he said.
"HCC has a poor record, world record loading. Among other sore red flags, you cannot imagine any capital city whose Mayors and Town Clerks have been arrested in office more than the Zimbabwe capital in the last 20 years.
"In our media age, how many negative stories pop up when anything about Harare City Council is searched on the web? How many good ones?
"Let the dead dream be buried...I shed no tears."
