MORE often, reports have emerged of bloated lists of government officials, parliamentarians, senators and even councillors making foreign trips.
At most, many of them find their names on the list of travellers for the sake of allowances and per diems.
They are not taking the trips to learn anything new, we would not be wrong to assume.
Despite the many trips they make, they do not bring home anything new — not even new ideas.
Exchange programmes are usually aimed at enhancing governance by facilitating knowledge exchange and capacity building among local authorities or parliaments domestically, regionally and internationally.
These programmes often involve study visits, workshops and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, with a focus on improving service delivery, citizen participation and financial sustainability.
In the past, even cash-strapped local authorities have often sent councillors in the several respective committees on numerous trips in the Sadc region to study how similar committees operate.
They have travelled to Sweden, Namibia, Mozambique, you name it.
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To bolster service delivery, government has, in the past, put in place a legal framework to introduce minimum qualifications for councillors in local authorities so as to improve competence.
Speaking during post-Cabinet briefing in March 2022, then Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet had approved principles of the Rural District Councils Amendment Bill which sought, among other things, to fix qualifications for local authority councillors.
She said there would also be amendments to the Urban Councils Act and the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, whose objective would be to align them with the Constitution, among other things.
“The amendments will seek, among other provisions, to provide for consultation with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and local authorities before the exercise of powers by the President or minister responsible, the membership of councils, devolution of governmental powers and responsibilities, qualifications of councillors, assumption of office by councillors, the suspension and removal of councillors from office, the procedures and appointment of an independent tribunal and the incorporation of junior councillors in development programmes under local authorities,” Mutsvangwa said then.
“The amendments will also provide for the opening of a devolution account into which revenue from the fiscus will be deposited for the provision of basic services, namely educational and health facilities, water, roads and electricity within areas under the jurisdiction of the local authorities. Cabinet approved the principles, which are a result of widespread consultation with stakeholders.”
However, despite all these noble suggestions, our elected officers and government bureaucrats continue making the same silly mistakes.
They have attended numerous exchange programmes, but there is nothing to show for it on the ground.
Reports have emerged of Harare City Council planning to start charging 24-hour parking fees in the central business district.
It does not have enough resources to remove garbage from the city centre, residential and industrial areas, yet it wants to punch above its weight.
Already, Geo Pomona has taken over its functions after realising that Town House is useless.
How delusional!
We have been made to understand that the city authorities are conducting preliminary assessments on implementing round-the-clock parking fees in the CBD, potentially extending payment requirements beyond the current 8am-4pm window.
Have they tried smart parking during the day to see if it works?
China, for example, uses solar-powered equipment to clamp cars whose drivers would not have paid parking fees.
Have they tried rehabilitating the large diameter water pipes from Lake Chivero to the city’s treatment or reservoir plants?
Do they even know the amount of garbage piling up at city terminuses in the central business district?
Karoi Town Council has also been in the news for the wrong reasons.
At the end of their tenure, most if not all of these elected officials, as well as government bureaucrats will forget nothing because they would have learnt nothing.
