ZANU PF Politburo member Supa Mandiwanzira has accused the opposition CCC party of deflecting blame for the contamination of Lake Chivero, which has resulted in the deaths of wildlife and domestic animals and poses a threat to millions of residents.
The polluted water has led to the deaths of fish and animals, endangering the health of millions who rely on this water source.
The CCC-dominated Harare City Council has blamed the central government for the crisis, prompting a response from ZANU PF.
In an interview with Business Times, Mandiwanzira, who is the ZANU PF secretary for Local Government, criticized the local authority for allegedly playing political games with people’s lives to score “brownie points.” Said Mandiwanzira:
We recognize there is a real crisis and at this point, it is pointless to be pointing accusatory fingers at this party and that party because, at the end of the day, we need to resolve it.
Animals are dying, the people are affected and it is the responsibility of ZANU PF and the ZANU PF government to make sure that all Zimbabweans including the animals have safe drinking water.
We all know that the challenges are as a result of the incompetence of those who are running the city of Harare who are mainly the opposition but at this point, we are a party in government which is responsible for addressing all issues including that mess.
Mandiwanzira also urged Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to stop blaming illegal settlements for the lake’s contamination, saying the local authority must prevent such settlements from emerging. He said:
The government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the government of ZANU PF has been very clear it is opposed to land barons, it is opposed to developments that are taking place without authority.
Ultimately the government does not go down to run the city of Harare or any other city, it is the responsibility of those given the mandate by the people of Harare to make sure these developments do not take place.
In most cases, we have found these illegal developments have plans approved by the same local authority so we believe this idea of pointing fingers at the government must stop.
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