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BY Clayton Masekesa
MUTARE – Community-based Organizations (CBOs) in Manicaland have put in place a committee that will monitor local authorities on accountability and transparency on the use of public resources and provision of adequate service delivery.
The committee was formed last Friday at a community formative meeting to launch the Social Accountability Project (SAP) that is being initiated by the Association of Community Based Organizations (ACBO) held in Mutare.
The project is a national initiative that is aimed at ensuring that local authorities are accountable and transparent in their processes that will bring effective service delivery to communities.
The Green Governance Trust of Zimbabwe (GGTZ) is leading the project in Manicaland. The committee comprises CBO representatives, councilors, youths, women, persons with disabilities, and the media.
The project, which began in May this year and ends in 2025, will focus on land, water, and housing issues in local authorities among others.
In an interview, the GGTZ Director, Frank Mpahlo, speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the project, said the major objective of the project in Manicaland is to ensure that there is a symbiotic relationship between the local authorities and communities in building sustainable communities.
“It is a national project where other provinces are doing the same. Green Governance Trust of Zimbabwe is the provincial lead which will be leading other CSOs in pushing this project,” said Mpahlo.
“The objective is to have a holistic movement that promotes housing and service delivery rights for cities and peri-urban areas. We want to promote housing rights and social accountability for citizens staying in Mutare and Manicaland. The project is there to ensure that there is a symbiotic relationship between the local authorities and communities in building a sustainable society,” said Mpahlo.
“We want to increase citizen participation in decision-making processes like budget consultative meetings, and contracts for private sector players in the council. We also want to ensure that the marginalized communities such as women, the disabled, and youth are given a safe space to speak out about issues that are affecting them, particularly when it comes to service delivery and council processes,” he explained.
Mpahlo said they will continue to call for transparency and accountability in the management of public resources to allay fears and negative public perceptions of the use of the public funds.
“The lack of fiscal transparency and public accountability results in a myriad of challenges ranging from flouting of procurement procedures, mismanagement of funds, deepening public mistrust in the local authorities as there is lack of a public feedback mechanism,” explained Mpahlo.
In his presentation on accountability and transparency in local authorities at the launch, the Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) Mutare Research and Advocacy Officer Sam Matikiti said it was imperative to monitor councils on issues of accountability and transparency.
“There is a need to have stronger community oversight and monitoring of major contracts and procurement processes that must be facilitated across all council departments,” said Matikiti.
He said there should be access to information regarding public spending goals, targets, and expenditure on public resources.
“This should be increased through a regularly updated public database of tenders, private contracts and payments, and publication of monthly income and expenditure. We call for a smart-public procurement which utilizes e-governance to deter under dealings must also be adopted,” Matikiti said.
He advocated for accounting mechanisms for the lowest functional decision-making structures, which must be initiated to enable scrutiny, transparency, and accountability from the bottom – up.
Matikiti said while all the actions and intentions supported by existing institutional and legal frameworks are commendable, there is a great need to adopt a holistic and coordinated approach in the fight against corruption.
“The magnitude of corruption and mismanagement of public resources extends beyond one public official. It has become a systemic issue requiring the wholesale reform of the way local authorities conduct business. Stronger safeguards, monitoring, and regulation against corruption are urgently needed,” he said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has put in place a national initiative against corruption through the National Development Strategy 1, where the government has committed itself to reducing the vices by ensuring speedy prosecution and resolution of all corruption.