dyton mupawaenda
Blessings Chidakwa-Herald Reporter
STARTING next year, President Mnangagwa will be chairing a bi-annual review meeting to assess the performance of all local authorities in a move aimed at improving service delivery in towns and cities.
Further, all local authorities, which must have operative master plans by June 30 next year, are now obliged to adhere to a stipulated minimum threshold of service delivery before approval of the 2024 budgets.
This is contained in a local authority BluePrint launched by President Mnangagwa in Harare on Wednesday titled, “A call to action-no compromise to service delivery: First stage of interventions to modernise the operations of local authorities towards a 2030 Vision.”
The BluePrint, prepared by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, also states that an inspectorate department will be established to check compliance with service delivery and the law.
“Over and above the Annual Performance Contracts administered by the Office of the President and Cabinet, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works shall immediately prepare a bi-annual review of local authorities which shall be presented at a meeting which will be chaired by His Excellency, the President,” reads the BluePrint.
It says Government working with the Urban Councils Association and Association of Rural District Councils’ is developing minimum service delivery thresholds to be achieved by all local authorities.
“Each local authority will be expected to develop its own standard operating procedures and system to ensure achievement of all the provisions of the law and minimum service delivery levels.
“Inspection and systems audits by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works will be structured in such a manner that all local authorities are continuously reviewed to ensure compliance with the law, minimum service delivery levels and respective standard operating procedures,” reads the document.
Following the haphazard sprouting of structures across most cities and towns, the BluePrint emphasises on the development and implementation of master plans by local authorities to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
It said development and abiding by a master plan is key to the sound management of every local authority as well as enabling the local authority to develop to its full potential.
“All local authorities should have operative master plans by June 30, 2024. Therefore, in the 2024 budget, all local authorities that do not have operative master plans should include costs and a roadmap for the achievement of this.
“Local authorities can utilise money from the devolution fund to prepare master plans with prior permission of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works,” reads the document in part.
Harare City Council last had a master plan in 1993.
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