Deeper structural interventions needed in council

Petros Zivengwa
RECENT reports that the City of Harare had closed several departments indicate a welcome development meant to reduce redundancy and improve service delivery.
It is also hoped that the move will result in the council having a leaner structure that is easily manageable and reduce corruption.
The move to close non-functional departments came in the wake of a seemingly bloated staff which was however, failing to carry out essential services like garbage collection, water and sewer reticulation systems.

It is disheartening that the bulk of the revenue generated by council is being channelled towards salaries instead of improving service delivery.

At the onset of the multi-currency period, council workers were the envy of many for their huge salaries but over time council realised that these salaries were not sustainable hence the move to close some non-functional departments.

The bloated staff compromised supervision, the result of which was dereliction of duty by council workers. Corruption also set in as officials allegedly abused funds generated by the city.

Consequently, salaries are said to have gobbled more than half of Harare’s revenues, with some directors earning between US$17 000 and US$36 000 as monthly salaries.

It is against this background that the city fathers saw it fit to reduce the council’s departments to six in a move to curb corrupt practices that seem to have entrenched themselves in all the city’s departments.

There are currently 45 middle managers and a general workforce of 6 348 at Town House.

It is not surprising that a large number of these people are doing nothing but that they get obscene salaries at the end of the month.

There is urgent need to root out corrupt tendencies in virtually every department of the city council.

Reports of employees demanding bribes from residents in return for favours of being given first preference in allocation of stands outside of the housing list and other vices seem to be the order of the day.

It cannot be doubted that the closing of non-performing departments is a double-edged sword given the fact that thousands of workers likely to lose their livelihood will join the ever rising unemployment band wagon.

At least 1179 workers are set to lose their jobs in the event that the council implements its plans to collapse non-functional departments.

It is incumbent upon Government to ensure that the economy is once again revitalised and incentivise our manufacturing sector for it to be able to absorb thousands of workers likely to lose their jobs.

There is need for a change of modus operandi at Town House to ensure transparency and efficient service delivery to residents.

Revenue collection and management is one area that the city council needs to look at with a view to ensure that a large chunk of the revenue is allocated to service delivery instead of administration costs.

The City Council is not a commercial entity and anyone working for the institution must be cognisant of his or her public duty to serve the people and not profiteer at the expense of ratepayers.

If the City Fathers fail to stridently implement a new paradigm shift in their operations then the goal of a world class city by 2025 will remain just an illusion.

In the final analysis, the closure of non-performing departments cannot be the panacea to all the city’s problems.

The government through the parent ministry must play an active oversight role in the daily operations at the city council. One of the most compelling propositions is the change of guard at the council.

While changes and administrative clean-ups would be commendable, it would be amiss if the entrenched culture of corruption and impunity is not adequately addressed.

And the buck stops with the hands on the deck: one would not expect the current crop of people to change their behaviour now: some of the moral and professional aberrations are within their DNA.

In this regard, it will behove Government, through the relevant ministry, to show its commitment to a sustainable and efficient structure and culture at Town House.
The people will be watching and continue asking questions.