While Harare City Council continuously complains that poor
cashflow prevents it from providing adequate water and services like refuse collection, it has just spent at least
$375 000 on iPads for councillors and selected managers with distribution
having started last week.
The average market price for a brand new iPad is in the
region of US$500, or $8 000 at the interbank rate that the council must legally
use since it raises its charges in Zimbabwean currency. Calculations show that
for Harare’s 46 councillors the city parted with at least $375 000. Ratepayers
also said council was now captured to serve a few elites at the expense of the
masses who are suffering from the deficit of service delivery in the city.
The $373 750 would have been enough to clear a monthly
salary backlog for at least 337 lowest paid council employees getting $1 109.
While the purchase of the iPads torched a storm from
ratepayers, Harare acting communications manager, Mr Innocent Ruwende said the
gadgets were vital as council was generating a lot of paper work hence the need
to go digital.
The Herald understands that the luxury iPads were bought
sometime mid-July with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe
procedures having delayed their delivery. Combined Harare Residents’
Association director Ms Loreen Mupasiri said while it was good to have iPads,
there were more pressing service delivery issues that should be focused on,
especially considering that council has been crying foul over the shortages of
foreign currency and revenue.
“It’s a misdirected priority. What budget lines covered the
iPads? Council never mentioned it in their previous budget. This is the challenge
where there is no compliance to budgeted issues. This is one of the key factors
affecting revenue collection.
“No ratepayer would want to fund a luxury such as an iPad
when he does not have water to drink. This is wrong and disappointing. It does
not make sense for council to talk of a digital era when even the billing
system is chaotic. Bills cannot be tracked in real time and council
administrative offices are short of adequate computers,” she said.
Mr Ruwende however, said council has to dump archaic
methods of doing business and adopt new ways for it to achieve its vision of
becoming a smart and world class city by 2025.
“The e-agenda also gives councillors ample time to go
through the minutes and study them carefully to ensure robust debate when they
come to council,’’ said Mr Ruwende.
Interestingly, The Herald understands that barely half of
the city fathers know how to operate an iPad efficiently. Herald
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