Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
THE Government has pledged to continue capacitating local authorities to ensure quality service delivery in line with global standards as the country transforms towards an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Local Government and Public Works Minister, Daniel Garwe, said this in Bulawayo during the opening session of his ministry’s strategic planning workshop last week.
He said local authorities, as frontline providers of services such as water and sanitation, waste management, transportation, education and healthcare, must be adequately equipped to enhance the effectiveness of their mandate.
“They (local authorities) are the engines that drive development and progress at the grassroots level. Therefore, it is imperative that we constantly strive to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of their service delivery,” he said.
“The delivery of services by local authorities is a critical aspect of the governance system, it directly impacts the well-being and quality of life of citizens.
“As the minister responsible, I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure that local authorities are equipped to meet the evolving needs of communities,” said Minister Garwe.
He implored councils to work closely with the Government in driving transformative programmes that deliver effective, and citizen-centric outcomes in line with President Mnangagwa’s “A Call to Action” on service delivery.
In an interview on the side-lines of the workshop that kicked off on Monday and is expected to end tomorrow, Minister Garwe said under the Second Republic, local authorities have greatly benefited through devolution funds and the acquisition of critical equipment through the assistance of the Government.
“We have been capacitating and will continue to capacitate our local authorities financially through devolution funds,” he said.
“We are also saying local authorities must identify areas where they need assistance and the Government will come on board. We have projects like fire tenders procurement where our local authorities have been equipped and are now able to effectively deal with fire challenges.”
Minister Garwe said councils have also been empowered through computer skills to understand processes like digital tender procedures in line with the electronic Government Procurement system (eGP).
Speaking at the PRAZ 4th annual conference in Victoria Falls last month, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga said the Treasury will no longer release funds for transactions conducted outside the eGP system.
“We are talking of going digital in line with global trends but we are also aware that some of our councillors are computer illiterate so we are empowering them so that they understand the procurement processes in their councils,” he said.
Minister Garwe also expressed concern over people who are settling themselves illegally on urban and communal State land and to counter this challenge, he said the Government has issued a moratorium on the sale of urban State land to pave the way for the strengthening of urban land management.
Under that, said Minister Garwe, the ministry reviewed the urban State land manual and prepared securitised land tenure documents.
Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Dr John Basera, said in response to the challenges outlined by the President, the ministry has made substantial progress in implementing the “Call to Action: No Compromise to Service Delivery” blueprint.
“I must commend you for a job well done in terms of achieving the milestones as directed by our principal. But the job is not fully done until we start to see service delivery that is congruent with an upper middle-income status,” he said.
“Hence, we need a Phase Two to consolidate and push on to the next level as we set the tone and momentum towards the last lap of our three-lap journey towards Vision 2030.”
Online Reporter