…Says champions should leave a legacy, solutions towards deteriorating service provision
Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru-Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) last week trained service delivery champions from Gweru’s 18 wards in a move meant to equip them with necessary advocacy skills towards the subject.
Speaking at the engagement meeting last week in the Midlands capital, GRRA director Conerlia Selipiwe said well-informed residents would talk and advocate for such issues in an improved manner.
“The reason why we have decided to impart skills to you as champions is so that you know how to hold leaders accountable.
“It’s only trained champions who know how to empower others in the community. We have issues of services delivery which need urgent attention like roads and sewer networks. For us to address this, we need people who stand for such issues. If you as champions are well trained, you can then mobilize other residents on how best to demand accountability,” said Selipiwe.
Development and local governance expert Didymus Dhewa said as local development champions, there was need for them to put more focus on solutions rather than challenges.
“As a champion you must be competitive because we don’t want to dwell much on loopholes. There are many challenges we have in our various wards with regards to service delivery,” he said.
He added that champions are supposed to be accessible and have knowhow of their geographical location among other factors.
“As a local champion, there are many things you ought to adopt. A local champion must be accessible, be a person who talks to everyone and engage with everyone without favoritism or taking sides. We want service delivery champions who will leave a lasting legacy of proffering solutions to the long standing challenges affecting the city.
“Also a champion must be a listener, people come with different ideas and feelings but as a champion you happen to be a leader. We need a situation were by you will be able to go back to your communities and help people to advocate for change towards issues affecting them on services.
“We know that if we inform you, you will be able to talk better because of that knowledge. If you are well informed, you will know how to report your issues and where to report them,” he added.
Dhewa however urged service delivery champions to be able to demand accountability in their wards.
“If refuse collection is not done, let’s ask what would be taking place, if there is no water let’s demand not only answers, lets also proffer solutions to these challenges.
“Let’s also understand the nature of the leaders we work and live with in our wards. We also need to approach our management and every council meeting that is full councils, quarterly review and budget consultation meetings so that we can even break down this subject to our fellow citizens,” he added.
GRRA’s Mtapa Ward 6 chairperson Sipiwe Nzira urged the trained champions to change their attitude to assume leadership positions.
“Let’s change our attitudes in order for us to change the communities we come from.
“We need to change our attitude so that we assume positions. We want to have women in leadership positions, we want a woman to be our Mayor next year as well as considerable women representation in council because they can be better leaders than men,” Nzira said.
GRRA Finance director Taurai Demo urged the participants to go and equip others as it was part of the community’s wishes that leaders will also be born from GRRA.
