LOCAL authorities have failed to meet their standard performance targets, as government continues to cry foul over the dismal outcomes, NewsDay can report.
Out of 32 urban local authorities, none attained its set targets, with 16% of them falling outside recommended values.
Similarly, 62 rural district councils failed to meet their set targets, with 8% falling short of the recommended values.
Addressing mayors and town clerks in Harare last Friday at the 2024 performance outcomes review, Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe called on the city fathers to work on cleaning their cities.
The call comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly complained of the grimy Mbare during the Defence Forces commemorations at Rufaro Stadium on Wednesday last week.
“It is a concerning percentage of what happened in the past couple of years. This data sets a wake-up call for all of us. The local authorities on one hand and the Ministry of Local Government on the other,” Garwe said. appointing authority. We are all accountable to the President of the country in our various workstations. So we must be able to find each other. We must be able to find each other.”
He said Mnangagwa directed him to ensure local authorities dealt with the issue of littering.
“With the resources that we have with the municipal police, we should be able to enforce our by-laws and make sure that people clean wherever they are operating from,” Garwe said.
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“We have got councillors belonging to government. We are all government employees. We are all accountable to central government.
“We are all accountable to the State. So we leave behind us. The moment we are sworn into office, we must leave behind us the political culture, the electioneering culture. We must leave it behind us.
“Right now, there are no elections. We don’t need to be mud-slinging. We must work together to turn around the fortunes of our local authorities.”
He said government was steadfast in its initial plan to tackle the importation and sale of second-hand clothes, as well as night vending.
“Citizens and residents in our respective local authorities, let us work together with urgency and integrity. The battle for cleanliness is in the mind. It’s nowhere else,” the Local Government minister said.
“It’s in the mind. Let us clean our cities. But we must start by cleaning our minds first. Let us have the courage to see both our progress and shortcomings. The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works stands ready to support.
“But the day-to-day work of transformation happens in your councils. It happens in your respective wards, in your communities and under our leadership. The road to Vision 2030 is paved by local authorities.”
Added Garwe: “We must make hard and tough decisions to clean these cities. They must be tough decisions.
“When you make tough decisions, positive results will come. So there is banning of second-hand clothing importation, subsequent banning of street vending and subsequent banning of night vending.”
He said a law to ban the importation of second-hand clothes would be promulgated.
“We don’t need that anymore. We cannot be a country defined by seeing people selling along the streets, used clothes,” Garwe said.
Local Government and Public Works secretary John Bhasera reiterated the need to upscale service delivery.
“In overview of the recent performance reviews done through you, 32 urban local authorities, none (met) their set targets,” Bhasera said.
“Alarmingly, 63% fell below target, but of course within values. And 16% fell below target and outside values. For our rural local authorities, the situation is equally uncertain.
“Out of 62 councils, none (met) their targets, with 37 meeting them, 55% below target, but within values and 8% falling significantly short of values.
“We must agree that this must change. We need to start to see service delivery going on an upward trajectory. We need to upscale service delivery.”
“We are all appointed by one
