We need all hands on deck

LAST month, President Mnangagwa launched a blueprint titled “A Call to Action — No Compromise to Service Delivery: First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities Towards a 2023 Vision”. The blueprint seeks to accelerate the modernisation and renewal of rural and urban centres. The Sunday Mail’s THESEUS SHAMBARE (TS) spoke to Local Government and Public Works Minister CDE WINSTON CHITANDO (WC) on implementation plans for the blueprint.

TS: Can you outline what the recently unveiled blueprint for local authorities seeks to achieve?

WC: His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr E.D. Mnangagwa, on November 1, 2023, through his blueprint “A Call to Action — No Compromise to Service Delivery: First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities Towards a 2023 Vision” directed that implementation of all measures contained in the plan start immediately.

In view of the President’s call to action and for coordination purposes, a whole-of-Government and sector approach has been adopted. As such, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will be crowded in while our stakeholders, both public and private, will have a significant role to play in ensuring seamless implementation of the blueprint.

To this end, the ministry has immediately put together a steering team from various departments to oversee implementation, as well as effective coordination, across all layers of Government, in line with the devolution and decentralisation thrust.

Critical to achieving this thrust, the ministry has embarked on a deliberate awareness campaign to ensure every one of the stakeholders is on board and is aware of the key elements in the blueprint and its implementation.

Already, we have begun by engaging our local authorities and their associations, that is, the Zimbabwe Local Government Association and its affiliates: the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe and the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe, including their respective technical fora, on this important thrust.

Thereafter, considered and time-framed strategic actions will be rolled out under the first stage of policy interventions.

For example, the blueprint directs every local authority to have an operative masterplan by June 30, 2024, and together with local authorities, we will ensure that all milestones are attained within the prescribed deadline.

TS: Most local authorities have struggled with issues of inadequate revenue collection. How will the blueprint ensure that this challenge is addressed? WC:

This is a very important question.

Revenue generation and collection have been identified in the blueprint as an area of huge concern in terms of supporting service delivery.

We concur with this observation by His Excellency, the President, and we believe there is indeed a strong correlation between revenue generation/collection and service delivery — the bigger the budget, the larger the extent and reach of services that a local authority provides to residents and ratepayers.

In terms of interventions, the ministry is moving with speed, leveraging on a multi-pronged strategy to ensure all the 92 local authorities are on a strong and sound financial footing to fund their service delivery initiatives. But how do we ensure revenue collection levels are of the expected standard?

Issues of up-to-date valuation rolls become imperative as this allows local authorities to collect competent rates from properties within their jurisdictions.

Leveraging on ICTs (information and communication technologies) to support business processes and functions such as billing, communication with ratepayers, rates payment is also key.

Undertaking comprehensive development control so that we do away with illegal settlements and structures, among other things, is also a key intervention.

We are certainly exploring as many initiatives — including engaging the private sector, development partners and other stakeholders — so that we leverage on all the expertise and resources available to us for deployment towards enhanced service delivery.

Similarly, discussions are ongoing on how best to attract investment and capital from capital and money markets to fund infrastructure development in our local authorities.

TS: Another challenge facing local authorities is that of illegal parcelling out of land. How will the Government intervene to address this? WC:

The ministry is working within the context of the Enhanced Cabinet Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management.

An important strand for this committee is that of addressing irregular and dysfunctional settlements.

We are jointly working with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, in collaboration with local authorities, ZINGSA (Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency) and EMA (Environmental Management Agency), among other MDAs.

We are determined to bring sanity to urban State land management and to this end, we have commenced a process of reviewing policy in this area as one of the important key steps to address this problem.

TS: Some local authorities have failed to produce audited financial reports for years. What interventions will you make to ensure ratepayers’ money is put to good use?

WC: Despite the Public Finance Management Act, as well as the Rural District Councils Act and the Urban Councils Act, requiring the submission of draft financial statements for auditing purposes, some local authorities have continually failed to comply.

To this end, we have sent a circular to all local authorities clearly articulating that only those local authorities with audited accounts and those that have submitted draft accounts (for 2022) to the Auditor-General will have their 2024 budgets approved.

In terms of statistics, out of the 92 local authorities, 42 have been audited for the year 2022 and they are up to date with auditing.

Seven are currently being audited and 43 are yet to be audited.

TS: Part of the interventions in the President’s blueprint is the periodical measurement of performance of all local authorities. How do you intend to measure the performance of the local authorities? WC:

This is an important work stream the ministry is currently seized with, in line with the President’s call to action.

Together with the local authorities and with support from stakeholders, we will be developing a robust framework to be able to objectively measure performance.

TS: Over the years, the relationship between your ministry and opposition-led councils has been characterised by public acrimony. How do you intend to work towards mending your relations? WC:

In our induction programmes for councillors carried out recently, we emphasised that once one is elected into council, one ceases to be a party functionary but a local government official/practitioner.

This is the principle the ministry uses in its engagement with councils.

While conflict is inevitable in any walk of life, our expectation is positive conflict that harnesses all our efforts towards service delivery and, ultimately, Vision 2030, as enunciated by His Excellency, the President, Dr E.D. Mnangagwa.

TS: How will you go about facilitating the regularisation of informal settlements in Harare? WC:

This is an area that is receiving priority attention under the auspices of the whole-of-Government approach.

Together with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities and other MDAs, we are partnering with local authorities as we strive to sanitise, modernise and regularise the housing delivery sector.