Parliament Orders Investigation Into Mbare Inferno; Zanu PF MP Blames Opposition For Livelihood Losses
PARLIAMENT has directed government to conduct a thorough investigation into a series of fires that recently ravaged informal trading spaces and buildings in Harare.
This comes after a fire engulfed Mbare Musika early last week, resulting in the loss of merchandise worth thousands of United States dollars.
Barely days after the Mbare Musika fire, a shop along Fidel Castro road, near the high density area, also went in flames as a result of a suspected electrical fault.
These incidents quickly ignite memories of blazes that almost yearly engulf Glen View Area 8 home industry complex, which is vulnerable to such calamities.
Zanu PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Rushinga, Tendai Nyabami, blamed the opposition, which controls Harare, for the destruction caused by the fires. This led to interjections from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators.
“This has resulted in people losing a lot of properties worth millions of dollars. For instance, Mbare is a place where people eke out their living in different businesses.
“We were supposed to take a leaf from what was happening in Glen View where it was a perennial problem. So, we are not learning any lessons until people lose their valuables.
“I came here to express my sympathy on the plight of the people of Glen View and Mbare. I would like to say do we have any solution to that, but I empathise with them.
“In South Africa, people were being killed and after research, it was discovered that it was as a result of some members of the opposition who were instigating that. So, this is being done by the opposition,” said Nyabani.
He added that the government should probe the fire incidents with a view to bring culprits to book.
“I do not know who represents the areas. The mayor should give an explanation why we find these fires destroying people’s livelihoods and their properties. Councils are failing to discharge their duties in terms of putting out these fires.
“So, my request is that the Minister of Local Government should put a commission which is going to investigate the council to ascertain whether the council is discharging its duties with fortitude because people are losing their properties through fires,” he said.
Acting Speaker of Parliament, Raymore Machingura requested the Ministry of Local Government to probe the infernos.
“Hon. Nyabani, you brought quite a pertinent issue regarding destruction of properties and from your request that the Minister of Local Government should investigate those fires is a good suggestion and I believe that our clerks have noted that,” said Machingura. *NewZW*