Emmanuel Chitsika
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) has said budgets that local authorities use in running their affairs should reflect the will of residents who are the chief financiers.
In an interview with TellZim News, MURRA director Anoziva Muguti urged council management to make sure that budget consultations are done in good faith and incorporate their views.
“Budget consultations, if done properly and in good manner would ensure the input of residents. Since a budget is a plan on how to spend/utilize given resources by the local authority, there is need to ensure it captures development projects proposed by the people.
“Residents are the ones who fund these budgets to a greater extent hence the need for them to have a say in the distribution of such resources. It is important that if residents participate and have their ideas captured in such consultative processes,” said Muguti.
He went on to express his view on how residents have lost faith in the consultations with frustration emanating from the fact that their views are excluded while they accuse council of working with their own budgets that are exclusive of their input.
“Unfortunately, residents have lost confidence in these budget consultation processes because over the years, council has not been taking on board their contributions. Council management would just consult as a fulfilment of law requirements but the truth will turn out that they are just imposing the budgets.
“Consultations are done so that residents rubberstamp what would have been already concluded by the management. That is why the consultative meetings were poorly attended in the past,” he said.
Muguti however said MURRA has held several workshops conscentizing residents on importance of participating in the upcoming meetings.
“As an organization, we have held several workshops and meetings with residents raising awareness on budget processes and importance of their participation. We have also held pre-budget consultative meetings where we gathered the views of residents and are currently in the process of compiling a document that we are going to submit to council for consideration in preparation for the 2023 budget,” added Muguti.
In the past, Masvingo budget consultations have been marred by poor attendance amid allegations by residents towards councils’ management of neglecting their input during consultations and present a budget of their own making.
