Online Reporter
The Herald, 19 May 1988
THE Government is negotiating a loan through the World Bank to assist urban councils with foreign currency to buy new equipment and spare parts.
The Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Cde Enos Chikowore said this when he opened the 47th annual meeting of the Association of Urban Councils in Kadoma yesterday.
“We hope that this will be part of the second phase of the World Bank urban development project due to come into effect early next year,” he told more than 300 council officials attending the meeting.
He urged the delegates representing 16 local authorities to draft their development master plans stressing that it was a legal requirement to do so. The master plans would project development plans for housing stands, roads, water and sewage reticulation, clinics, schools, recreation facilities in addition to plant and equipment.
Cde Chikowore said the absence of master plans had in some instances compelled local authorities to encroach on surrounding fertile land for housing purposes. He cited the growth of Harare towards Lake Macliwaine and suggested that the construction of high rise buildings and flats in empty pockets of land within the municipal area should be considered to avert that problem.
On decentralisation he said it was desirable that businessmen moved to small towns, growth points and rural service centres. Cde Chikowore said the Government was aware of the constraints posed by State funding of municipal development projects through the public sector investment programme.
An exercise was currently being undertaken by the Government to streamline the constraints and improve the unsystematic investment patterns. Local authorities are still trying to establish viable enterprises in an attempt to increase their financial resources in spite of lack of capital, the acting president of the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, Cde Bruno Mutandwa, said yesterday.
Lesson for today
- The emphasis on drafting master plans shows that proper planning helps cities grow in an organised way. Without planning, problems like overcrowding and misuse of land can occur. Sewer bursts are a major problem these because of houses which are being built on breathing spaces and wetlands.
- The government’s effort to secure a World Bank loan highlights that development often requires financial support, especially for infrastructure, equipment, and services.
- The issue of urban areas expanding into fertile land teaches that development must be balanced with protecting important resources like farmland.
- Councils trying to create their own enterprises show that local governments must find innovative ways to generate income and become financially sustainable. Effective planning, proper funding, and balanced development strategies are crucial for building sustainable and well-managed cities.
