admin
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
RURAL district councils have been challenged to work hard and efficiently to deliver quality services to rural communities and to foster a culture of accountability and transparency.
Addressing the 17th Association of Rural District Councils Chief Executive Officers Forum Annual Conference Zimbabwe (ARDCZ) in Nyanga early this week, Local Government and Public Works Minister, Honourable Winston Chitando, emphasized the local authorities’ vital role in ensuring that Zimbabwe attains Vision 2030 of an upper middle class economy.
Minister Chitando said President Mnangagwa’s goal of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy by 2030 requires the active participation and cooperation of rural district councils in implementing various development projects and programmes.
“The local authorities must devise strategies to ensure that every city, town and rural district council achieve the desired outcomes. The aim should be to support the President’s Vision 2030 as he has urged everyone to collaborate and provide quality service to the majority of the people. This requires teamwork and therefore the need for everyone’s contribution and commitment.
“There is nothing you achieve without a plan. The right tone has been set by President Mnangagwa who established a national blueprint that guides local authorities and helps enhance their performance and service delivery,” he said.
President Mnangagwa recently launched the Blueprint for Local Authorities, which is a manual for enhancing the performance and service delivery of local authorities in Zimbabwe.
Minister Chitando said the blueprint outlines the vision, mission, values, principles, objectives and strategies of local authorities, as well as the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders.
The blueprint also provides guidelines and indicators for monitoring and evaluating the progress and impact of local authorities on the socio-economic development of their communities.
The blueprint is expected to improve the accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of local authorities, and to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and citizen participation.
It is aligned with the National Development Strategy (NDS1) and the devolution agenda, which aim to empower local authorities to address the needs and aspirations of their people.
Minister Chitando also promised ARDCZ that the ministry will back their people-centred programmes in implementing President Mnagagwa’s call to action blueprint to ensure quality service delivery to the voters.
Speaking at the same event, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr John Basera emphasised the importance of teamwork in achieving the objectives of the ministry and President Mnangagwa’s vision.
He also called for effective collaboration among local authorities to ensure the successful implementation of the President’s blue-print.
Dr Basera further encouraged the local authorities to conduct self-assessments and align their efforts with the ministry in delivering quality services and enhancing revenue collection which are vital for the expected outcomes.
ARDCZ president, Councillor Dr Golden Aaron Shamhu expressed appreciation to Minister Chitando for his continuous engagement with local authorities since the introduction of the Local Authorities blue-print.
He said this was a positive move for enhancing service delivery in the local areas.
He also said the CEOs of both rural and urban councils had gathered to review their performance and plan for the next year.
He said they were following the blueprint that the Government had provided to guide all local authorities in the country.
He said that they were aligning their operations with the national vision and working together to fulfil their mandate.
He said they were using a manual to break down the blueprint and ensure that everyone plays their role accordingly.
“We had all the CEOs from both rural and urban councils during the conference. The core objective was to reflect on how we have been doing things and planning for next year.
“We have recently started using a mandate that we have been given by Government, which is a blueprint that guides all local authorities in the country and it will help the country realise its Vision 2030. As CEOs, we have sat down and mapped ways of how we need to align our operations with the vision of the nation. We have a mandate and we need to work together so that we deliver as per the blueprint.
“We are using a manual, dissecting it and making sure that each and everyone of us plays their role as per the blueprint,” he said.
Online Reporter