adminTHE objective of local authorities is to administer the area under their jurisdiction on behalf of ratepayers, by employing the best standards of good corporate governance.
This explains why people vote for councillors who are supposed to stir municipalities on their behalf in a manner that mirrors the aspirations of the ratepayers.
The bottom line is to ensure that ratepayers get good services for the money they are paying to council.
Elsewhere in this issue we carry a disturbing story in which a Government report unearthed rampant corruption in the way affairs at the Mutare City Council are being handled.
The audit followed numerous complaints from citizens and council workers who alleged the existence of ghost workers at the local authority, dying service delivery and the non-payment of salaries among a plethora of other allegations.
A lot of anomalies were picked up by the audit which promoted the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere to visit the city and order the city fathers to put their house in order as a matter of urgency.
He read the riot act saying council management should work unpaid overtime to rectify the situation and improve service delivery in the city.
It was observed that the local authority had a bloated workforce of 1501 workers that were chewing up 85 percent of revenue collected, leaving a meagre 15 percent to service delivery.
Such a scenario negatively impacts on the ability by the local authority to collect refuse, provide water and other sanitation services.
The ball is in the court of city fathers at the Civic Centre who are the employers.
They are the ones who should crack the whip on errant directors and show them the exit door when they are caught on the wrong side of the law in carrying out their duties.
As rightly put by Cde Kasukuwere, the councillors, especially the mayor, should ensure that his workers are on the right path.
This was aptly seconded by the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Cde Mandi Chimene when she said: “The councillors here submit to management. We have to remind the councillors who the boss is.”
We urge the mayor Councillor Tatenda Nhamarare to quickly act on the recommendations of the audit report and ensure progress.
He struck the right cords when he said he will not hesitate to bring to book any of the directors fingered to have corruptly benefited from the mess the local authority is currently facing.
If he does not act, ratepayers will assume that he is dining with the devil.
At the same time, there is no need by the city fathers to make hurried decisions that will backfire in the future.
They have to make calculated moves and seek legal counsel when dealing with some of the issues which, if not handled carefully, will dearly costs the local authority.
Ratepayers do not want to demonstrate but they will be forced to do so if the current administration does not show concern to their grievances.
At the end of the day, what we want is a clean city where basic services are provided for.
Online Reporter