adminMidlands Correspondent
Gweru residents have been urged to vote for development oriented individuals into council, as the calibre of some incumbent councillors leaves a lot to be desired.
This emerged at a Local Governance Symposium in Gweru where representatives from rural and urban local authorities convened a two-day meeting on unpacking local governance opportunities unveiled by the new political dispensation.
Gweru City Council town clerk Miss Elizabeth Gwatipedza said the restoration of local authorities into vibrant institutions required concerted efforts from various stakeholders and citizens should vote wisely when choosing people who will represent them in councils.
“Our citizens need to be informed on the role of councillors, according to the democratic nature of our Councillor, anyone above 21 years is eligible to be elected,” she said. “Now, our citizens should not allow any Jack and Jill into the council chambers to make critical decisions for them.”
Miss Gwatipedza said there has been a challenge over the years regarding the calibre of councillors who have been running local authorities as they were mostly concerned about their personal welfare.
“Council positions should be taken up by development oriented individuals who will enhance council business not to dwindle coffers through unnecessary meetings,” she said.
She also said there was need to improve financing mechanism for local authorities as the current water, refuse and road infrastructure is in a dilapidated state. “There is also the issue of financing,” said Miss Gwatipedza. “In the past, there were donor funds which local authorities were repaying over a very long time like 25 years. In our case of Gweru city, we need up to $30 million to revamp the water system.”
Online Reporter