Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Beitbridge Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Development Trust has embarked on a programme to promote civic participation by residents on matters of local governance.
The organisation’s treasurer Mr Vhidziwani Mabule Mudau said they were concerned with deteriorating levels of service delivery, hence the need to be proactive.
“We want to encourage residents to pay rates and other service charges and then demand services because the council will be having resources to provide the services. We want residents to also develop a culture of attending council meetings where issues that affect them such as council budgets are discussed,” he said.
Mr Mudau said they started rolling out the initiative late last year.
He said they have noted a marked improvement in relations between the local authority and its ratepayers.
The officials said they have been holding workshops with council heads of departments and residents where they receive information on their rights and responsibilities.
“They also got encouragement to participate in budget processes and policy formulation forums, be it by local government or national government.
“Additionally, they are being taught to push for gender-sensitive policy decisions in budgets or other policy formulations. This also applies to policy decisions that accommodate all the other various demographics, for example people living with disabilities,” said Mr Mudau.
He said they had also streamlined their operations in line with the Covid-19 protocols on large gatherings.
Mr Mudau said they were targeting to educate over 50 percent of the residents on their roles in terms of promoting the town’s growth and theirs and the local authority honouring their obligations.
“We believe that there are generally no proper consultations from authorities that are charged with service delivery,” he said
“In the case of our municipality, it also looks like squabbles between management is sidetracking them from properly expending energy on key service delivery.
“We also believe that they lack some of the key skills that are needed to decisively deliver services to residents even in the face of a weak economic environment.”
Mr Mudau said some of the issues coming up from the meetings include; complaints about high bills from the council, erratic water supplies in some suburbs, or no water at all newly built areas.
He said those staying north of western suburbs were worried about perennial sewer blockages, especially in the Tshitaudze suburb. — @tupeyo
Online Reporter