Mafume’s world-class finger-pointing exercise

JUST weeks before Harare is supposed to magically turn into a “world-class city”, as part of the local authority’s lofty Vision 2025, its mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, was at it again last week — this time pointing fingers faster than a traffic cop at a junction with malfunctioning traffic lights.

In a classic display of blame-shifting brilliance, Cllr Mafume declared that the traffic congestion choking the Central Business District (CBD) is, wait for it, the fault of mass public transport operators.

Yes, the very people trying to ferry thousands of intra-city commuters through Harare’s pothole-riddled roads are apparently the culprits!

Never mind the crumbling roads, the overflowing bins, the non-existent traffic lights at many intersections or the fact that the city council seems more interested in collecting parking fines than actually providing basic services.

Nope; all those pesky kombis ferrying desperate commuters who cannot afford to buy their own private helicopters are the ones to blame.

Meeting with transport associations at Town House during discussions on the proposed 2025 budget, Cllr Mafume generously promised to “restore sanity” to Harare’s ranks. This was a bold claim, given that sanity has been an endangered species in the city for decades.

The ambiance of ranks, he assured, would soon rival the glossy transport hubs of other parts of Africa. However, he conveniently skipped over which “other parts” he meant.

The mayor also pledged to regulate illegal transport operators, improve hygiene and create a safe environment for passengers.

Admirable goals, no doubt, but perhaps someone should remind His Worship that these are tasks that should have been well underway before Vision 2025 started looming like an overdue school assignment.

Cllr Mafume lamented that congestion in Harare reflects failure of the transport sector, saying: “Everyone feels obliged to get a car.” Except himself, of course!

What he did not say was that many residents feel obliged to get cars because relying on Harare’s public transport is like playing musical chairs on a sinking ship — chaotic, unpredictable and ultimately disastrous.

But don’t worry, he has a plan. He intends to organise transport operators and clean up the ranks.

One might be tempted to ask: Where has the council been while the CBD descended into a disorganised jungle?

Rather than focusing on “ambiance” and “frameworks”, Town House should perhaps start with the basics: fixing the roads, maintaining streetlights and ensuring that the city is not one solid traffic jam.

So, here we are, about two weeks away from Vision 2025’s promised “world-class city”. It is painfully obvious Harare is hurtling towards a “world-class embarrassment”.

As Town House scrambles to shift blame onto transport operators, residents are left wondering if perhaps it is the mayor himself who needs a crash course on responsibility.

Bravo, Mayor Mafume, for turning dodging accountability into an art form and pointing fingers with the speed of a world-class Olympics sprinter.