A top Harare City Council official says a controversial street parking deal with South African firm Easihold will remain in place, as hordes of youths clashed with city parking attendants in the city centre yesterday morning.
Council’s deal with Easihold has been under the spotlight as it emerged that the city was getting peanuts yet motorists were being forced to pay exorbitant parking fees by Easipark, the holding company of the joint venture.
Easipark workers told the Daily News yesterday that a group of youths chased them away in the morning, demanding to take over the lucrative street parking business.
“We only started work after police intervened,” said a parking attendant.
It was not possible to verify the reports with police. In May, Upfumi Kuvadiki, a youth group invaded the city centre demanding the termination of the joint venture deal and was only dispersed by police.
"But Thomas Muzuva, the incoming chairperson of council’s business committee, told the Daily News that a divorce with Easihold “is not an option”.
“One thing is certain. We are not pulling out of the joint venture agreement with Easihold SA as some are advocating. It is not an option we are considering and as a committee we will work hard to ensure sanity prevails and that council acts within legal confines,” said Muzuva.
“Those misguided elements that are agitating for a total pullout from the agreement do not understand the legal implications of the pullout and they forget that the South African company owns 40 percent of Easipark,” Muzuva said.
He said council signed an agreement that “unfortunately” gave the junior partner the right to appoint the same number of management officials as council, which is the senior partner with 60 percent shareholding.
The agreement, according to Muzuva, expressly stated that Easihold would enjoy sole charge of the day- to-day running of Easipark.
“The business committee will be meeting on the 18th of August and we are going to request that the city abides by the agreement it signed and unfortunately it is Harare that is actually at the moment causing disruptions and acrimony in Easipark.
“In particular you will notice that the clique that is calling for the divorce with Easihold are former members of the city’s business committee and one wonders where their priorities lie,” he said.
Muzuva’s comments show that major fissures have emerged within the MDC dominated council, particularly after the reshuffle of committees.
Credit: Daily News
22/08/11
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