Specifically, they are calling for the revocation of
lifetime residential and commercial land rights that have been granted to the
most powerful residents.
Government through Circular No 12 of 2019 allows
councillors the privilege to buy residential land at a 40 percent discount and
commercial land for full price.
Under this provision, councillors can arrange a payment
plan with the local authority, which should be completed within five years of
their service in the council. Despite these and other benefits, residents have
bemoaned the decline in service delivery in most councils and blamed city
fathers for sleeping on duty and failing to show leadership in addressing
problems affecting ratepayers.
Most urban centres are facing a decline in service delivery
with major cities like Bulawayo and Harare struggling to maintain clean streets
and provide water while battling ballooning housing backlogs.
In Bulawayo, for instance, over 100 000 people are on the
housing waiting list and most of the city roads are littered with potholes.
Chaos also continues in the city centre where vendors and
pushcart operators block pavements and disrupt traffic movement with
long-distance buses, pirate taxes and kombis causing traffic jams in
undesignated zones.
While service delivery is on a declining trajectory,
residents said it is disturbing that councillors are only concerned about
grabbing stands for personal benefit.
These benefits have raised eyebrows, especially considering
that from previous council terms, some councillors in Bulawayo are said to have
grabbed commercial stands where they are enriching themselves by building
townhouses.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association executive
director, Mrs Permanent Ngoma, said it was worrying that councillors have easy
access to land at a time when most Bulawayo residents are struggling to get
land for building their homes.
“The feeling from the residents is that those packages are
just too much considering that we have a long list of people on the housing
waiting list to get stands,” she said.
“The stands are not availed to residents but funny enough
councillors seem to get priority in terms of being allocated land even at a
time when the council is saying it does not have land.
“Secondly, you will discover that those councillors when
they are given those stands, they immediately sell them. There might be a need
to review the policy so that the councillor gets the land in the ward where
they serve,” said Mrs Ngoma.
She said the Government should consider striking off the
commercial land benefits for councillors.
Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairman Mr
Winos Dube weighed in and queried the logic behind privileges for councillors
at the expense of other residents. He said only property owners should be
councillors as this will lessen the burden of having “chancers”.
“One thing that we ask from the Government and ministry’s
level is why are they offering those privileges. For instance, the privilege of
a residential stand, what we have been advocating for is that there should be a
qualification for one to be a councillor,” he said. “You must be someone who
already has property and you have an interest in providing development.
“As it stands, any person can rise from the streets to
become a councillor not because they want to contribute positively to the
development of the city but they would be chasing after these packages of a
residential stand and a commercial stand.”
Mr Dube said being a councillor should be voluntary work
with little incentives.
Former Bulawayo councillor Alderman David Ndlovu, who
served in council between 1991 and 2003 said during their time it was unheard
of to hear that a councillor had benefitted from the local authority apart from
their usual allowances.
Alderman Ndlovu shared Mr Dube’s sentiments that being a
councillor was community service.
“We were in council to serve the public not to benefit from
resources that were meant to serve the public. We were going to the council to
provide voluntary work. The only thing that we used to get were allowances. If
something like that (getting land) was even suggested, it was called corruption
and you will discover that most people who became councillors already had their
properties,” said Alderman Ndlovu.
He said what was saddening to note was that councillors
have even submitted themselves to council management, yet they are supposed to
be policymakers.
“At the time we were in council we were not having this
thing where councillors would invite council directors to come address
residents on council issues,” said Ald Ndlovu.
“The council meetings were solely presided over by the
councillor who understood all the issues. I don’t want to seem to criticize
them or to suggest that we were better than them.
“But they are doing things that we wouldn’t do. They are
constructing houses in places we left behind as breathers and in some cases in
wetlands. This is now the trend.”
Director of communication and advocacy in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Mr Gabriel Masvora, said the Government through Circular No. 12 of 2019 granted councillors permission to benefit from a commercial and residential stand within their lifetime.
“The stand may be sold to the councillor at a discount of 40 percent of the normal values. The stand is to be offered to the councillor on a lease with the option to purchase with payments being made in equal monthly instalments and completed before the end of the term of office of the councillor,” he said.
“Title deeds may not be issued until the development of the
home is complete.”
Mr Masvora said a councillor may not sell the stand or cede the lease during his/her term of office and the cost of servicing of the stand shall be paid in full.
“However, this offer of residential stand is a privilege
and not an entitlement. On Commercial/Industrial stands, the minister granted
permission to a councillor to be allocated a single business or industrial
stand in their lifetime, within council areas on which to construct a business
for him/herself,” he said.
“The stand is to be offered to the councillor on a lease with the option to purchase with payments being made in equal monthly instalments and completed before the end of the term of office. Title deed may not be issued until the development of the home is complete.” Herald
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