Devolution funds to repair street lights

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

GWERU City Council will channel the $4 million it received from the Government under the devolution fund to repair street lights in the Central Business District and residential areas, the Mayor, Clr Josiah Makombe, has said.

The Mayor commended the Government for releasing the funds which he said would go towards improving service delivery.

“As Gweru City Council we have received $4 million from Government under the devolution fund and that money is going towards improving street lighting from the Central Business District to the high and low density suburbs. We are expecting another batch of $1,3 million in the next two weeks,” he said.

Across town – Vungu Rural District Council has received over $1 million under the devolution fund.

Chief Executive officer, Mr Alex Magura, confirmed receipt of the money which he said will go towards construction of a clinic and drilling of boreholes.

“We received a total of $1 040 000 from Government and it is going towards the construction of a clinic and drilling of boreholes. We need a new clinic to improve access to health for our people as well as drilling more boreholes to address water challenges,” he said.

Mr Magura said his council is mandated to provide social services (health and education), infrastructure development, provision of all-weather trafficable roads, and maintenance of existing roads, environmental management, spatial planning and development control within its area of jurisdiction. 

“We have a total road network of 1900km which comprises primary, secondary and tertiary access and feeder roads. The District has over 80 Business Centres, 8 Rural Service Centres and one growth point. The District is engaged in mining, agriculture, and wildlife as major economic activities,” he said.

Vungu RDC has 19 elected councillors. Fourteen of these are male while five are female. 

President Mnangagwa has approved payment of salaries for Provincial Council members in line with implementing the devolution agenda.

The President said that his Government is prioritising devolution and decentralisation in the running of national affairs as a strategy to revitalise the economy and to improve the people’s standards of living.

The new Constitution provides for a new system of Provincial Governance through Provincial Councils. Harare and Bulawayo will have Metropolitan Provincial Councils.

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