SENIOR Rural District Council (RDC) executives last week blew over $10 million at a two-day workshop in Bulawayo which was organised by the Association of Rural District Councils.
The meeting, dubbed the Inaugural Rural District Council’s
Planners Forum and Spatial Planning Conference was held on April 6 and 7, and
delegates checked in at a hotel in Bulawayo on April 5.
Each local authority had two officials taking part, after
forking out $180 000 for each executive on full board, while those that were
not on full board paid $60 000.
The organisers of the conference were Netsai Makoni and
Stableck Savere.
They refused to disclose the exact number of delegates to
Southern Eye, but the participants were drawn from the country’s 59 administrative
districts.
“I am eating. I will come back to you,” Makoni told
Southern Eye when contacted for comment.
Savere last Thursday asked for written questions via
WhatsApp, but by yesterday, he still had not responded to them.
Makoni and Savere also refused to share the contacts of the
convener of the conference, who was identified as Dr Matsilele.
A letter dated March 10, 2022 signed by Matsilele said the
participants were expected to deposit $180 000 per delegate into a provided
bank account.
“Full board conference package which includes free for
accommodation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, hall usage, facilitators
fees (travel and accommodation), public address system, lunch and drink,
conference room stationery, projector, welcome tea, morning and afternoon teas,
cordials, conference apparel and networking dinner is $180 000 per delegate
while conference with own stationery, projector, welcome tea, morning and
afternoon conferencing teas, cordials, conference apparel and networking dinner
is $60 000 per delegate,” the letter read.
The letter stated that the conference was an inaugural
spatial planning and planners forum conference, adding that it would reflect on
pertinent spatial planning issues such as delays in approval of layout plans,
and the planning conflict with the Lands ministry, among others.
However, RDC workers feel that given the difficult economic
situation in the country, such luxurious conferences are uncalled for.
“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this conference should
have been held online. Apart from conference costs, there are fuel costs and
travel allowances for about 118 people,” an RDC employee said.
He said RDCs were struggling to provide services due to
cashflow problems, hence the conference costs were unnecessary.
Spatial planning is mostly recognised as a public sector
function. Its purpose is to influence future spatial distribution of
activities.
It also aims to co-ordinate and improve the impacts of
other sectoral policies on land use, in order to achieve a more even
distribution of economic development within a given territory than would
otherwise be created by market forces.
“It is an important aspect of planning, but that does not
mean it cannot be done online via ZOOM,” the RDC worker said.
Most RDCs in the country are struggling to provide basic
services to residents countrywide. Newsday
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