Please look into Lupane Local Board

CLERK of Parliament Attention: Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government Construction and National Housing Dear Sir/Madam

RE: Lupane Local Board management not transparent on numerous issues

The Lupane Local Board (LLB) administration came into existence in 2009. Caretakers and commissioners have come and gone, so have town secretaries.

The following is a truncated narrative, otherwise the story is too lengthy. Management does not consult with the residents:1. Six years or so ago, management convened a meeting and entered into an “agreement” with the villagers surrounding the town.

The latter had asked that their livestock be allowed passage to the river through the town. Now, the fact that management failed to consult the residents on the issue means that there was no transparency and accountability.

Furthermore, there are bylaws (2013) prohibiting the encroachment of stray livestock into Lupane town area of jurisdiction deriving from the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) Schedule Three.

As stated above, what has ensued over the years is too long a story requiring ample time to highlight, suffice to say that the villagers have now disregarded the so-called agreement and are now bringing their animals to graze in people’s resulting in urban residents failing to grow vegetables or mould bricks for fear that these will be destroyed by livestock.

When residents complain, the rural cattle herders insult them. The animals cause ecological pollution and degradation (Section 783, Constitution of Zimbabwe) and the cost of rehabilitation will be borne by the ratepayers and stakeholders in the long-term.

Furthermore, not only did the management fail to consult with the residents, they also committed a gross act of oversight in bypassing their counterpart, the management of Kusile Rural District Council.

Therefore, the so-called agreement is null and void and must be withdrawn.

2. LLB management does not consult the residents as to how they use Zimbabwe National Road Administration and devolution funds. They do so only after they have made decisions by themselves.

3. Government is compounding the situation by not appointing caretakers as per section 6 of the Urban Councils Act as read together with section 265(2) of the Constitution.

Caretakers must be appointed from the locals as opposed to the appointment of commissioners (Sec 80 of the Urban Councils Act).

Can you believe it, Sir/Madam, that since 2017, the LLB as the local authority has had only one caretaker instead of five caretakers because there are five heads of departments.

I am a former caretaker myself and I was chairing the finance and development committee.

In 2018 the incumbent town secretary, the treasurer and the acting engineer, were arrested and charged with flouting tender rules.

They are back at work because their lawyers applied for trial de novo (fresh trail). This was as a result of there being no caretakers.

Due to the absence of caretakers, there is no interfacing between the local authority and the residents. There is no link or linkage. The chairperson has lost appetite for her office.

The roads in the residential areas have been impassable for six months now, yet the engineer is quiet, the chairperson is quiet.

I, therefore, implore your committee to visit the town to hear the resident’s side of the story.

I thank you in anticipation and God bless!

Yours