Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, [email protected]
Bulilima Rural District Council (RDC) in Matabeleland South province has made a historic move by livestreaming its full council meeting on Facebook, offering residents access to proceedings and insights into how their elected representatives are conducting business.
The meeting, broadcast live via the RDC’s official Facebook page, makes Bulilima RDC one of the few rural councils to embrace digital platforms for public engagement, joining the Bulawayo City Council which also streams its full council meetings.
Many RDCs in the country are known for operating in secrecy, with council minutes rarely accessible to the public, limiting accountability.
Typically, only a select group of stakeholders receives minutes and even then, they are often required to return the documents after meetings.
During the session, councillors debated several pressing issues, including the contract of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Billiat Mlauzi and key service delivery challenges in the district.
Presenting his report, Mr Mlauzi expressed concern over the lack of disbursement of Devolution Funds, which he said is severely hampering the council’s operations.
“We did not receive any disbursement of Devolution Funds and the report highlights how this is affecting us. We seem to be facing challenges in collecting revenue, with some of the ratepayers not responding well, especially the
Unity tax payers and those with residential stands. This has affected our cash inflow,” said Mr Mlauzi.
He also announced that the council is hopeful that upcoming spot hunting activities would improve its financial standing. Service delivery developments in the district, including road works and the Figtree Smart City project, were also addressed.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Mlauzi said the livestream was aimed at improving transparency and inclusivity.
“We took this measure to improve transparency because the Full Council is open to the public. We want to give those who could not attend the meeting a chance to at least follow the deliberations,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by high-profile guests, including Members of Parliament Cde Dingumuzi Phuthi (Bulilima) and Vincent Sihlabo (Mangwe), Senators Solani Moyo and Richard Moyo, as well as Ministers Dr Evelyn Ndlovu and Mangaliso Ndlovu.
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