Councillors demand management roles

COUNCILLORS from urban and rural district councils in Mashonaland West believe they should be actively involved in policy making to enhance the efficient management of resources.

In an interview recently, Mashonaland West cluster chairman for the Association of Rural District Councils in Zimbabwe Mr Farari Charakatenda said councillors could help in the administration of road rehabilitation funds from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara).

“We have no power in how the funds are being managed by the councils,” he said. “As councillors, we should also play a part in the supervision of Zinara allocations.

“We understand that council leadership runs the administration, but councillors should have the power to demand progress.”

Mr Charakatenda said Zinara could also help local authorities to acquire road machinery and equipment.

“Zinara should allow councils to use the money to acquire equipment for road maintenance as most councils in the provinces relied on hiring equipment, which was rather expensive,” he said.

“The amounts being availed by Zinara to councils are reasonable if the local authorities possess their own equipment.”

Makonde RDC chairperson Cde Davet Muzvidzwa recently told Mhangura legislator Dr Douglas Mombeshora that council chairpersons had their powers clipped.

While they are no longer signatories to financial accounts, councillors are also no longer part of procurement boards.

Recently, Dr Mombeshora expressed his reservations towards the Makonde RDC’s failure to rehabilitate its roads.

The local authority was recently named as one of the worst performing councils in Mashonaland West.

Cde Muzvidzwa revealed that all council chairpersons had been removed from being signatories to council financial accounts.

“Councillors were members of the procurement (board) and a directive was made to remove councillors from the procurement committee,” he said.

“A letter was sent to council chairpersons from the then Minister of Rural Development Promotion and Preservation of National Culture and Heritage, Cde Abednico Ncube, restricting councillors to policy making.”

The letter, he said, gave council officials all the power to determine what to do with council funds without seeking input from councillors.

Makonde RDC recently suspended its chief executive for alleged incompetence.