Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development has noted progress by local authorities in using funds disbursed for road rehabilitation and maintenance, but wanted them to improve service delivery and ensure roadworks are durable.
The committee, which visited Beitbridge Rural District Council on Wednesday, is conducting nationwide oversight visits to assess the state of service delivery by local authorities and how councils are using funds and fuel allocated by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).
Committee chairperson Cde Tawanda Karikoga said the team had so far visited four councils as part of its constitutional mandate.
“We are carrying out one of our constitutional mandates as the Parliament Portfolio Committee for Transport and Infrastructure Development.”
“Today we visited Beitbridge RDC to ensure that they used ZINARA funds and fuel allocated to them on projects that benefit the people,” said Cde Karikoga.
The visits were verifying compliance and ensuring roadworks were aligned with the aspirations of Zimbabweans for an improved road network.
“What we have realised is most of the councils have to some extent used the funds in a correct manner. And we commend them for that. But in some instances, not much was done and as Parliament we also go further on actually what transpired.”
Cde Karikoga encouraged local authorities to act promptly once funds were disbursed and to prioritise quality in road construction.
“Once funds are given to the local authority or to any road authority, we expect them to use those funds, not keep them in their accounts or misuse them,” he emphasised.
Councils were encouraged to focus on constructing roads that had a longer lifespan to reduce recurrent maintenance costs and improve mobility for communities, farmers and businesses.
Cde Karikoga said although progress had been recorded, delays in implementation remained a concern in some councils and Parliament would follow up on the issues raised during the oversight visits.
The committee will compile a report containing recommendations for ZINARA and local authorities to improve efficiency and accountability as the oversight exercise continues in other districts.
Local authorities across the country have been receiving ZINARA allocations for road rehabilitation as part of their share of funds raised. The funds are being used to address potholes, grade rural roads and undertake drainage works.
Beitbridge RDC chief executive officer Mrs Kiliboni Mbedzi welcomed Parliament’s oversight role, saying it helped councils remain accountable in the use of public resources.
“The importance of this kind of visit, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee especially this one which was here, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development, is that they come for the verification process of the use of Zinara funds and fuel disbursement,” said Mrs Mbedzi.
“So that monitoring on its own, it checks on how we do service delivery. It also ensures that there’s compliance within council on the use of the funds and fuels.”
Mrs Mbedzi said the committee had made several recommendations, including the need for the council to have a maintenance plan and policy for its equipment.
“So far what we have learnt a lot from the team. Their recommendations were that we should have a maintenance plan for our equipment and maintenance policy.
“That will ensure that if a grader breaks down, it doesn’t take long to get back to service our roads. So, we are going to implement that,” she said.
“They also recommended that we should reorient our councillors on their responsibilities, duties and responsibilities of which they recommended that to the DDC’s office.”
Mrs Mbedzi acknowledged that equipment breakdowns had affected the council’s ability to use the allocated funds.
“We have had some challenges in using the funds on the ground because of grader breakdowns and the life of our grader which is a bit long, which is now giving us problems,” she said.
