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Local Government is the sphere of Government closest to the people. Councillors running urban councils and rural district councils are elected by citizens to represent them and are responsible to ensure that services are delivered to the community. Councils must make sure that people in their areas have at least basic services they need.
There are a number of services that they provide, the most important of which are: Housing, water supply, sewage collection and disposal, refuse removal, health services, roads and storm water drainage, street lighting, parks and recreation and another essential service offered by a number of councils countrywide is education, through various primary schools and vocational training centres.
These services have a direct and immediate effect on the quality of lives of people in a particular community. For example, if water that is provided is of poor quality or refuse is not collected regularly, it will contribute to the creation of unhealthy and unsafe living environments. Poor services can also make it difficult to attract business or industry to an area and will limit job opportunities for residents.
A number of local authorities have been under fire from residents owing to poor service delivery and failure to provide housing, with housing waiting lists ballooning by each passing week.
The failure to provide housing by local authorities has left residents at the mercy of unscrupulous people who rob them of their hard earned money by selling them land which is not serviced or simply disappearing with their money without providing any land on which they can build their houses.
Even those who have managed to deliver housing stands, they have failed to finish off servicing their areas, with most roads remaining untarred and, some failing to access important services like water supply and sewage collection and disposal.
On the other hand, council bosses are said to be earning quite a lot of money, and no wonder Government had to intervene and force them to reduce salaries and perks, which were considered “obscene” by the majority of the population. While most urban councils have complained that they are owed huge sums of money by rate payers, we note that they have also intensified their cash collection methods, with many of them making a lot of money from parking discs in towns and cities, with the Bulawayo City Council charging $36 for a three-month parking disc, and failure to display a parking disc attracts a fine of $10 plus $3 for some other service, which takes the total to $13. Of late, there has also been a massive drive to chase away vendors from the central business district, with municipal police moving around the CBD arresting anyone on sight who would be selling anything at an undesignated point, with their goods being confiscated too. Those who owe rates have also been pursued, with some losing their property in the process.
While there is nothing wrong with the council carrying out its mandate as prescribed by council by laws, residents then get worried when there is laxity when it comes to service delivery. The decision by the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, to direct all urban councils to stop “look to learn visits, workshops and conferences” was therefore a wake up call to local authorities to make sure that they fulfil their mandate of service delivery. The minister called for the end of such activities amid concerns that there was growing abuse of funds to indirectly enrich councillors and officials.
The directive was necessitated by the fact that service delivery in the country was at its lowest, according to the ministry. The minister further struck off any “Christmas bonuses” and perks which councillors and council officials were awarding themselves. We agree with the minister, and urge local authorities to make service delivery a priority.
Bongani Ndlovu