by Staff reporter
Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba says as of October 2020, the province has received ZW$125 million devolution funds and has since utilised 86 percent of the amount.
Minister Gwaradzimba expressed gratitude to the way the local authorities in the province were utilising their allocated shares.
“We have been allocated a total of ZW$124 894 886.00 under devolution and to date have utilised ZW$107 257 657.90, with 86% expenditure rate.
“Our Local Authorities have acquitted themselves well in the manner they have utilised these devolution funds,” she said.
The minister said some local authorities had constructed social amenity facilities like schools and clinics while others procured capital equipment for the purpose of enhancing service delivery, and others furniture and equipment for schools and clinics.
“Regular systems checks are being conducted in Local Authorities for the purpose of enhancing corporate/local governance. Recent systems checks were done at Rusape Town Council, Chipinge Town Council and Buhera Rural District Council,” she said.
She added that Buhera Rural District Council (RDC) received ZWL 9.4 million, Chimanimani RDC ZW$7.4 million, Chipinge RDC ZWL 14.9 million, Makoni RDC 13.7 million, Mutare RDC ZW$ 11 million, Mutasa RDC ZWL 10.3million, Nyanga RDC ZW$ 7.9 million, Chipinge Town ZW$ 7.7 million, Rusape Town ZW$7.5 million, Mutare City ZW$35.2 million.
Expenditure, she said, was mainly on road construction equipment such as tippers, backhoe loaders, dumber trailers, towed graders, rehabilitation of road equipment, road surfacing and gravelling, borehole drilling, schools furniture, computerisation of council offices, construction of clinics and classroom blocks across the local authorities.
“Devolution projects are being closely monitored and reports to that effect are being submitted on a monthly basis to Head Office at OPC (Office of the President and Cabinet),” said the minister.
She said the province was now focusing on the new economic blue print, National Development Strategy (NDS) 1.
“The Province made a submission of High Impact projects to be incorporated in the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 to be rolled out 2021 – 2025,” she said.
The devolution policy was borne out of a need to champion development at local level going up unlike in the past where developmental projects were being implemented at central government level to the local level.
The policy empowers local authorities to identify developmental gaps in their area and address them with allocated funds.
