Muchadeyi Masunda
Encyclopedia
Muchadeyi Masunda is currently the non-executive mayor of Harare
, the capital city of Zimbabwe.
As chairman of 12 companies and director of two, the 53 year old is also well known in Zimbabwean cricket, golf and tennis. He is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport
based in Switzerland.
, an MDC member who was previously elected executive mayor by the MDC-majority council on June 15, voluntarily stood down from the mayoralty and accepted the position of deputy mayor, after allegations that his wife was captured and tortured by Zanu-PF youth. Masunda is the first non-MDC member to take office as mayor since before the election of Elias Mudzuri
in 2002, and chooses not to be associated with any political party.
, which was controversially banned by the government even after the court ruled that the newspaper should be allowed to resume operations. Critics, such as Masunda himself, claim that this is a clear attack on press freedom in Zimbabwe although the government claims that ANZ broke Zimbabwean investment laws, as claimed by The Herald
from information supplied by the Zimbabwe Investment Center (ZIC). Masunda claimed that: "The police are simply trying to build up a fraud case on the basis of false information supplied by the ZIC and reports published in The Herald."
and MDC-M
) after the Sadc
negotiations, offering a more ceremonial mayor. The current mayoral system involves the elected council choosing the mayor, rather than a direct mayoral election. He supports the return of the ceremonial mayor, stating that: "you cannot have two bulls - and executive mayor and a town clerk." He also claims that this is one of the failings of European and American governments, which he claims is an "unmitigated disaster".
of the main MDC faction. He believes that both parties should ignore their different political stances in order to improve Harare, and restore its status as the "sunshine city" and is willing to hold talks with both parties. Masunda claims he does not wish to be connected to any political party, as it would give a bad impression of him as a lawyer, who defends people regardless of race or political orientation.
Masunda has stated that he will use his business connections to improve the service delivery of the city, such as water provision, roads, grass cutting, traffic and streetlights, and refuse collection. He has also divided the city's issues "soft" issues such as the repairing of pavements and cleaning of house fronts, concerning the owners of houses and their tenants, as well as the more important issues of water, traffic, and streetlights.
He plans to transfer the management of water from the company Zinwa back to the council, by engaging in talks with Zinwa and the government. He claims this is a necessity because the company had not been fulfilling its mandate to supply water to Harare.
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, the capital city of Zimbabwe.
As chairman of 12 companies and director of two, the 53 year old is also well known in Zimbabwean cricket, golf and tennis. He is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
based in Switzerland.
Election
A prominent businessman and lawyer, Masunda was elected unanimously by the Harare council on July 2, 2008 for a five-year term after Emmanuel ChirotoEmmanuel Chiroto
Emmanuel Chiroto is the deputy mayor of Harare, Zimbabwe. He is also a member of the Harare City Council.In the March 2008 election, the Movement for Democratic Change won 45 of the 46 local council seats in Harare, and Chiroto, who is a member of the MDC, was elected as Mayor of Harare by the...
, an MDC member who was previously elected executive mayor by the MDC-majority council on June 15, voluntarily stood down from the mayoralty and accepted the position of deputy mayor, after allegations that his wife was captured and tortured by Zanu-PF youth. Masunda is the first non-MDC member to take office as mayor since before the election of Elias Mudzuri
Elias Mudzuri
Elias Mudzuri is a Zimbabwean engineer and politician. Mudzuri was elected to a four-year term as Mayor of Harare, a city of 1.8 million, in March 2002. Trained in Sierre Leone as a civil engineer, the mayor is a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers. Before becoming mayor, he had worked...
in 2002, and chooses not to be associated with any political party.
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe
Masunda was formerly chief executive officer for Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), the parent company of The Daily NewsDaily News (Harare)
The Daily News was a Zimbabwean independent newspaper published in Harare. Its presses were bombed and it was banned in 2003.-History:The Daily News was first launched on July 31, 1999, and controversially banned in defiance of a court ruling in 2003. Its founder, Geoffrey Nyarota, was a journalist...
, which was controversially banned by the government even after the court ruled that the newspaper should be allowed to resume operations. Critics, such as Masunda himself, claim that this is a clear attack on press freedom in Zimbabwe although the government claims that ANZ broke Zimbabwean investment laws, as claimed by The Herald
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
The Herald is a government owned daily newspaper published in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.-Origins:The newspaper's origins date back to the 19th century. Its forerunner was launched on June 27 1891 by W E Fairbridge for the Argus group of South Africa...
from information supplied by the Zimbabwe Investment Center (ZIC). Masunda claimed that: "The police are simply trying to build up a fraud case on the basis of false information supplied by the ZIC and reports published in The Herald."
Non-executive mayor
Masunda's role as the first non-executive mayor, since the recent abolition of the executive mayor by the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Act prevents him from taking part in the running of the council. Instead he will be chairing all full council meetings, as well as civic functions. The new mayor will also no longer occupy Harare's mayoral mansion, and will conduct from an office in Town House. This is one of many reforms agreed to by Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change factions (MDC-TMovement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
and MDC-M
Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara
The Movement for Democratic Change — Mutambara is a Zimbabwean political party led by Welshman Ncube.-Foundation:The Movement for Democratic Change was founded in 1999 as an opposition party to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front party led by President Robert Mugabe...
) after the Sadc
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
negotiations, offering a more ceremonial mayor. The current mayoral system involves the elected council choosing the mayor, rather than a direct mayoral election. He supports the return of the ceremonial mayor, stating that: "you cannot have two bulls - and executive mayor and a town clerk." He also claims that this is one of the failings of European and American governments, which he claims is an "unmitigated disaster".
Policies
Masunda has no former political experience in any party, and therefore does not openly support the ruling Zanu-PF or either MDC faction, although reportedly being encouraged to stand by Morgan TsvangiraiMorgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai and a key figure in the opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 February 2009...
of the main MDC faction. He believes that both parties should ignore their different political stances in order to improve Harare, and restore its status as the "sunshine city" and is willing to hold talks with both parties. Masunda claims he does not wish to be connected to any political party, as it would give a bad impression of him as a lawyer, who defends people regardless of race or political orientation.
Masunda has stated that he will use his business connections to improve the service delivery of the city, such as water provision, roads, grass cutting, traffic and streetlights, and refuse collection. He has also divided the city's issues "soft" issues such as the repairing of pavements and cleaning of house fronts, concerning the owners of houses and their tenants, as well as the more important issues of water, traffic, and streetlights.
He plans to transfer the management of water from the company Zinwa back to the council, by engaging in talks with Zinwa and the government. He claims this is a necessity because the company had not been fulfilling its mandate to supply water to Harare.