…Residents accuse council of uneven distribution
Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru-Residents last week quizzed the distribution of 2021 Gweru Mayor’s cheer fund food hampers after it emerged that some vulnerable families were overlooked at the expense of the working class.
The concern was raised during an interactive meeting where residents were scrutinizing the state of service provision in all the city’s 18 wards.
The previous year, (2020) reportedly saw 35 learning institutions benefiting from the fund.
Senior Gweru resident Sekuru Tumbare said it was not clear how council distributed the 2021 Mayor’s Cheer fund food hampers as most vulnerable community members were left out.
“We continue to elect leaders who are divorced from us. We need people who understand where they come from.
“I failed to understand how the mayor’s cheer fund hampers were distributed. Our councillors must take to account each and every vulnerable member so that they can benefit from this programme.
“Last year we were shocked, a lot of vulnerable people were left out. Year in year out, we know people who ought to benefit from this fund. We live with them in our wards where we have the elderly, People with Disabilities, orphans, widows and widowers.
“The working class who earn a monthly salary benefitted from the fund at the expense of the poor. Let me say this is bad. If we trust our councillors to represent us, we ought to get favourable answers. This issue where people go about choosing each other on friendships and partisan grounds is not good. We need compilation of proper beneficiaries,” said Tumbare.
Munyati Development Strategies (MDS) a local think tank official Costain Mukanganiki said solutions to address most developmental issues affecting the community lie with residents.
He added that, it is good for residents to know the qualities office bearers who could address their areas of concern in their respective wards.
“What kind of a councillor do you need as a people or as a community? You said a good councillor should be a person who makes policies which improve the welfare of the community. Like on the issue of the Mayor’s fund, you highlighted, there is need to hold these policymakers to account and demand transparency in order to understand how the issue of inclusivity on the welfare of vulnerable members of the society works.
“Despite challenges which may arise while in office, policymakers must always craft policies that speak to areas of concerns, that are improvement of road infrastructure, water provision, refuse collection, health care, housing among other things. If council fails to provide the services we need, we can take litigation measures as it is our right as tax payers.
“For instance the provision of water is a constitutional right as enshrined in section 77 of the constitution which says Every person has the right to safe, clean and water as the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within the limits of the resources available to it. Service delivery is a serious issue which enables the community to function properly.
“It becomes a serious challenge if we go for decades without the resuscitation of main water points such as our reservoirs and sewer networks. At least policies need to speak to improvements even with the little resources available on the table.” Mukanganiki said.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association director Conerlia Selipiwe said it is always important for both council and the residents to work collaboratively in building better communities.
Despite the Covid-19 wave that swept through the country last year, Gweru city managed to meet its target to raise goods worth US$ 50 000 for donation to underprivileged members of society under the fund.
“This year (2021), it is our aim to get US$ 50 000. As the mayor of Gweru, I kindly make a plea to all of you our honourable guests, to help through cash or kind so that we can assist underprivileged members of the society,” said the then Mayor Josiah Makombe during the official launch of the fund in November 2021.
