By Staff Reporter
ZAKA – Cash-strapped Zaka Rural District Council (RDC) was recently urged to construct sub offices at other centers around the district and closer to rate payers to promote payment of rates, which will improve service delivery.
The call was made by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works deputy director of development Cephas Mudavanhu during a recent full council meeting while presenting findings of an investigation that was done to establish challenges that were affecting the running of the local authority.
Mudavanhu said some of the challenges they were facing as a local authority emanated from the fact that the local authority had no money so establishing sub offices would allow people to pay rates closer to home.
“The reason why people quarrel is shortage of money. If you have money, you won’t have problems. You are owed by many as council so you must rigorously collect revenue your debtors list is too big so there is need for follow ups.
“Council should open sub offices at bigger service centers like Ndanga where people can pay rates if they fail to come here because it’s distant but if its closer, they pay,” said Mudavanhu.
He went on to say the local authority needed to purchase a land management software to be used by the planning department so that the local authority cashes in on land sales.
“You need to have a software on land management. That way you can increase revenue inflow from land sale. These are the resolutions from the central government that you need to implement, if you fail then the minister will query why you don’t want to implement his recommendations,” said Mudavanhu.
The local authority is operating with only two vehicles and is having challenges with its drill rig that is not functional having drilled very few boreholes since its purchase more than two years ago.
It was also struggling to pay workers and is yet to clear all arrears which at some point backdated to seven months.
The councilors at some point resolved to cut traveling and housing allowances for the workers as a way of saving the little they were collecting from ratepayers.
Mudavanhu however ordered them to rescind the resolutions which he said could spill into the labor courts.
“There are resolutions that you made that broke the law and we asked the Minister to rescind those resolutions. There is an issue regarding transport and housing allowances that you arbitrarily reduced; go and address that because the management can sue you for that. You cannot just wake up and reduce someone’s allowances without talking to them first because it’s on their contract.
“We have a classic example of Mudzi where councilors said management was spending council money and reduced it. The management went to court and won the case. Council was forced to sell cars and even desks to pay workers. They ended up doing meetings seated on the floor so you must be very careful when dealing with workers’ issues,” said Mudavanhu.
The local authority reportedly listed all debtors and gave it to the council chair Fungai Maregedze when she assumed power in 2023. They however accused her of deliberately failing to take action as the list had some of her colleagues.
When contacted for comment on the allegations, Maregedze said it was not her duty to collect debts on behalf of council so she could not be accused of failing to take action.
