URBAN COUNCILS UNDER FIRE

Tanaka Mahanya
URBAN Councils have been condemned for poor service delivery at the expense of residents.

Speaking at a meeting last weekend, Zimbabwe National Organisation of Association Residents Trust (ZNOART) national director, Shalvar Chikomba, said residents have been exposed to poor service delivery by local urban authorities.

“Gone are the days when residents used to access water from taps on a daily basis.

“Councils should just respect residents and focus on service delivery.

“We cannot be held at ransom by people we are paying and choose not to deliver,” he said.

He said Urban Councils have lost credibility as a result of mismanagement of funds.

“Sewage is flowing in our streets and Councils have become overwhelmed that they have decided we live in the new ‘normal’.

“Since local authorities derive their administrative authority from an Act of Parliament, it is high time that the Central Government should exercise their oversight responsibility over Councils.

“We believe that we cannot sit back and watch when the local Council representatives are turning urban councils into a private corporation in which they are enriching themselves at the expense of the residents,” he said.

Chikomba said local authorities have a key role in plans for city regeneration and how this can help promote integration and to create more cohesive and resilient communities.

“It is now impossible to identify regeneration priorities as part of a broader growth strategy.

“Recently, we have seen rebasing of budgets to United States Dollars by some councils, which is unconstitutional.

“We believe that this practice is contrary to the spirit of devolution and the tenets of the Urban Councils Act, Rural Councils Act and the Public Finance Management Act and its regulations,” he said.