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GOVERNMENT intervention has restored order in mainly opposition run urban councils which have been failing to improve service delivery.
The approach taken by the Second Republic has seen rehabilitation of roads, renovation of schools and clinics while other councils have benefited from Government funded borehole drilling which has improved access to clean drinking water.
Last week Cabinet was updated on issues related to challenges facing urban local authorities in supplying water to residents.
There will be a Presidential statement on the issue once all arrangements are finalised, as Cabinet noted, that matter must be attended to in the shortest period.
Central Government was forced to step in and fill the void left by opposition councils in urban areas where service delivery was next to zero as councillors are just lining their pockets.
The Government, which is building dams to ensure adequate provision of water, has also rolled out the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), which to date has seen more than $16 billion being spent on roads.
Speaking in Bulawayo recently, Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo said the Second Republic was determined to leave no one behind hence the approach to intervene and assist struggling urban councils.
“Service delivery is the mandate of both rural and urban local authorities. They should provide schools, clinics, recreation facilities and other public amenities. The councils should also provide services such as refuse collection, road construction and rehabilitation, water supply and other such services. We realised that they were failing and we said as Government there could be no ‘us’ and ‘them’ if we are to develop the country,” said Minister Moyo.
He said Government had to move in to address challenges of water supply, road construction and rehabilitation and other services that councils were failing to provide.
“The Government’s intervention has resulted in improved service delivery in most urban areas and we intend to continue supporting the councils because it is our people who are being short-changed by these councils,” said Minister Moyo.
Significant progress has been made so far, with close to 38 600km of the country’s road network having been rehabilitated or reconstructed under ERRP2 against a target of 45 700km.
According to the latest ERRP2 progress report tabled in Cabinet recently, 11 555km of gravel roads were graded between March and December last year against a target of 17 567km. In addition, close to 1 000km of urban and trunk roads were reconstructed countrywide out of the planned 1 426km.
The works also included pothole patching (5 227km), gravelling (2 569km), drainage construction and repair (1 678km), resealing (182km), gully reclamation (287km), verge clearing (10 000km) and drains clearing (6 166km).
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