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…as Zim joins world in universal
access commemorations
Virginia Njovo
Local authorities must ensure
that residents have greater access to information concerning issues in their
localities so as to aid equal access to public services, the Women’s Coalition
of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) has said.
On 28 September, Zimbabwe joined
the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Universal
Access to Information.
TellZim followed this up with a
live-streamed discussion with Masvingo City Council and WCoZ on September 30.
The discussion, titled
‘Rethinking Access to Information and Promotion of Quality Service Delivery
During and Post Covid-19’, was attended by WCoZ Masvingo Chapter chairperson
Joyce Mhungu and Masvingo Urban Ward 9 Cllr Babylon Beta who represented Mayor
Collen Maboke.
“Residents need to be furnished
with quality information so that they are fully aware of what is happening
which gives them equal access to opportunities. There are many people who do
not know how to get about the process of applying for residential stands and
such are people who are often left out when programmes that should benefit
everyone are implemented.
“When everybody is made aware of
the processes involved, they stand an equal chance of benefitting from such
programmes,” said Mhungu.
She was making a contribution
concerning the impending servicing of new residential stands in the envisaged
Rujeko B residential suburb.
Many residents felt the project
had not been fully communicated to them and they did not know when they could
expect it to begin and get completed.
Although the stands have been
pegged, servicing has not yet begun amid talk that council has suspended the
project and work will only begin once currency exchange rate has stabilised.
“There are residents who paid for
lodgers cards a long time ago and they have been paying the waiting list fees
over the years yet they have not been able to get land to build houses. What we
do not want is a situation where people with more money get the land ahead of
people who have been on the list for many years,” said Mhungu.
In his contribution, Beta had
said council could not give a guarantee as to when the land will be ready for
sale to prospective home builders.
“I cannot give an exact figure of
the number of stands that will be serviced as I am not a member of the Public
Works Committee. I however do not think the land will be available for sale
this year because we have not yet opened roads there and no any other
infrastructure has been laid down. The law does not permit us to sell
non-serviced stands,” said Beta.
