Presentation by his worship the Mayor of Mutare at the handover ceremony of donated medical equipment by the Zimbabwe health network - Monday 15th August 2011

Zimbabwe as a nation has suffered an unprecedented brain over the past years. Europe has been one of the destinations of choice for the emigrant professionals across all heath sectors. Little did we know these guys carry Zimbabwe with them in their hearts wherever they go.This gesture by the group of Zimbabwe in Europe going by the name Zimbabwe Network for Health or simply Zimbabweans in the Diaspora-Europe, led by Dr Mike Mbizo and coordinated by Dr Shiva is unprecedented.

Due to the current economic crunch the City, like other sectors in the country, has had its own share of challenges. Most companies that have contributed to the city's purse over the years through payment of rates and commodity consumption revenue from services such as water are no more, and those companies still in existence are struggling to exist and are failing to pay council's dues. This is resulting in very reduced revenue inflows and hence the capacity for the City to keep afloat.The residents who are getting a livelihood from these companies are now employed and are also no longer able to keep up wit h rates and services payment.
The government has added to the city's woes- the financial support it is mandated to provide to the city through health grants is no more. All this means that the city is struggling to make ends meet, service delivery has been the ultimate victim.

The gesture by the Association of Zimbabwe in the Diaspora-Europe is indeed a shot in the arm for the City's health service. Most of the medical items that have been donated have been our shopping for some time now;

I can assure you Dr Chemuru, all this equipment will be put to good use. Sakubva is our oldest and largest high-density suburb with an average monthly outpatient attendance of about 7000. The maternity unit admits about 300 clients every month. The Health Department runs Opportunity Infections (OI) clinic at Sakubva Health Centre for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients. To evaluate treatment success there is need for a CD4 count machine I hope the promised next consignment by the Association of Zimbabwe in the Diaspora will include this very important evaluation piece of equipment.

The uniqueness of the association's approach is that they supply the medical equipment after extensive consultation with the recipient organization. Ti ensures that the equipment they source and supply is the much-needed equipment. Once more DrChemhuru, on behalf of the City, and especially the Sakubva Health Centre, I want to thank you and the organization you represent today, most heartily or this goodwill gesture. Coincidentally council has engaged a number of nurses lately. They will certainly compliment the efforts by the organization the Zimbabweans in the Diapora-Europe. At the end of the proceedings I will ask you to make a short tour of the Sakubva Health Centre for your better appreciation of our healthcare delivery here.

I THANK YOU

MAYORS INAUGARATION SPEECH – QUEENS HALL – 15 OCTOBER 2009

It is with great personal pleasure and honour that I stand before you on this occasion.

Members of the public approached me in 2007 with the idea of me standing as their Mayor. After much soul searching and deliberation I accepted this challenge.

This request to stand as Mayor was, for me, public confirmation of my status as being a true Zimbabwean. This was key to my accepting the challenge, and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I would like also to pay tribute to my fellow Councillors who have shown faith in me as their Mayor. You can be assured of my total commitment during my term of office.

Time does not permit me to go into any great detail of Councils achievements and as some will say non-achievements, but allow me to outline our overall objectives.

We follow three main pillars of principal, namely to act in a democratic, transparent and accountable manner. To this end we encourage public scrutiny of our endeavours and hope to be, on the whole, sensitive to public concerns. 

Our aim is to employ a work force that is committed to the well being of the city, its people and its assets. There are clear guidelines in the urban council act with which we in tend to keep. The main one I am referring to is that of the ratio of Employees salaries, wages and benefits, to service delivery expenditure and so on.

It is not correct to say that our infrastructure has collapsed, but it is certainly true that it does need urgent attention, refurbishment and expansion. This will not happen if we do not keep to those required ratios.

While council is desperately trying to re-capitalize, refurbish, expand and improve on basic service deliveries, we are extremely appreciative of the efforts of our councillors in mobilising vast numbers of volunteers within their respective High-density wards. And to the volunteers we say a big Thank You.

Their assistance has augmented the work of council staff with refuse collection and road drain clearing. These voluntary efforts are ongoing and have been complimented by the business community in providing trucks of various sizes to transport refuse. Thanks must go to the Shandira group who have co-ordinated this effort with our health department.

It would be a derelict of duty on my part not to mention other organizations who have stepped in so readily to assist the people of Mutare. Or twinning cities of Harlem in Holland, Portland in Oregon USA and more recently Xanchue of China have all been of great help in the exchange of cultural and other ideas. Mercy Corp has been extremely active within the city, spearheading the fight against cholera and assisting in the provision of clean potable water. Their efforts in the rehabilitation of communal ablution blocks, in our High-density suburbs was the catalyst we needed with the voluntary work I mentioned earlier.

We are at a very advanced stage of concluding our negotiations with SIDA and their country director is optimistic that the Million Dollar facility will soon be advanced. This is an un-collactorised, interest free facility, with a repayment holiday of one year. This facility is to be used for the purchase of plant and equipment for restoring refuse management services. This opportunity is a 1st in Zimbabwe and the expression of confidence by SIDA has been facilitated by the exceptional manner in which we have handled the overdraft availed to us by a leading local bank Kingdom Bank Holdings. This facility afforded us the ability of stabilizing and restoring initial attempts of service delivery.

Ladies and gentlemen I could ramble on for ages – 5 hours even!! – with items of interest, but regular meetings with the business community have been arranged and information dissemination can be effected more fully there, and also through many feed back meetings your councillors have within their respective wards.

Members of the Mutare public! I have said earlier that this council, encourages public scrutiny of its activities, this is no idle invitation. With the looting and misappropriation that has happened around the country it is important for the public to pay attention to the affairs that concern their own well being and that of their fellow man. We have a job to do in refurbishing and rebuilding infrastructure and systems, we ask for assistance from all who care, but will brook no quarter for those who act, either on their own or, for larger groups to purposely place hurdles in our way. These hurdles can only prolong our inability to provide adequate service delivery and we must be aware of the subtleties that are hidden behind these hurdles.

We must all be brave to challenge underperformance, fraud and corruption. As true Zimbabweans “sons of the soil” we must guard jealously our commitment to bring about change and development in the country. It is in this vein that I find it extremely disheartening to note that some amongst us prefer to fight and prejudice other Zimbabweans by charging them with grievous cases and incarcerating them, such as the recent case with Senator Roy Bennett.

But Ladies and Gentlemen, when all is said and done, this is your city – look after it!

I thank you.

 

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