Gweru City Council has purchased vehicles worth over US$450 000 from internal and devolution funds to enhance service delivery.
The service vehicles that were commissioned at town house comprise three Nissan pick-up trucks bought for about US$100 000 using council funds.
Under the devolution agenda, which promotes inclusive development, the local authority purchased an ambulance for US$77 000, a front-end –loader for US$151 000, a tipper truck for US$102 000, and a tractor for US$28 000.
Government allocated Gweru $195,5 billion in devolution funds this year, up from $16,7 billion last year as more funding continues to be earmarked for the Second Republic’s decentralisation agenda to empower communities and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
The 2023 National Budget ring-fenced $195,5 billion being five percent of the anticipated revenue resources towards lower tiers of Government in support towards construction, upgrading and rehabilitation of facilities in health, transport, education, water and sanitation, as well asprocurement of plant and equipment by local authorities.
The money is shared among the 10 provinces based on a number of factors such as poverty levels in all districts, quality of infrastructure and size of population.
Devolution is enshrined in the 2013 Constitution, but its implementation began in earnest with the coming in of the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa when growing sums were budgeted to top up the funds local authorities raise themselves to fund essential infrastructure in their areas.
The Second Republic is scaling up the devolution thrust consistent with President Mnangagwa’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
Gweru Mayor Councilor Hamutendi Kombayi said the seven vehicles procured by the local authority are in line with its thrust of building a sustainable, prosperous city of choice by 2030.
“We are here to commission the seven vehicles purchased by the local authority using mostly devolution funds and our own funds. There are three open trucks that we bought using our own funds. For the ambulance, tractor, tipper truck and front-end loader we used devolution funds. So we used about US$450 000 towards this move aimed at improving service delivery,” he said.
Cllr Kombayi said the vehicles procured will be distributed to the city’s housing and engineering department for the implementation of the council’s priority service areas, which include waste management, roads, sewer and rapid response to emergencies.
He said the local authority is fully committed to excellent service delivery through procurement of the latest, ideal, state-of-the-art equipment/vehicles.
“The tipper truck and the front-end loader will play a pivotal role in our road’s rehabilitation project. Soon we will start to fill all the potholes around the city and continue to maintain our roads.
“The Ambulance is meant to assist our loved ones in their hour of need, this is part of our health care system as a city, also the open trucks will assist in rapid response to water, sewer, and other services that may be required in the city,” said Cllr Kombayi.
He said the vehicles will be fitted with tracking devices and a policy is already being crafted on the use of public service vehicles to curb abuse of the vehicles.
Acting town clerk Mr Vakayi Chikwekwe said the council is also expecting the delivery of a new tipper truck and has plans to purchase new graders, as well as tractors.
“We have another tipper coming in 8 to 10 weeks’ time, so we have three tippers that will service the city at the beginning of the year if we are allowed to sell our land, we want to buy graders that are durable and efficientso that we can service our roads and notrely on other people for roads rehabilitation,” he said.
Mr Chikwekwe said plans are underway to purchase more tractors for the engineering and health services departments.
“We have two sources of funds that we are using to procure these vehicles that are devolution funds and internal funding from our revenue collection ventures. We are grateful to the Government for the devolution funds which continue to enable us to improve on service delivery,” he said.
Late last year, the local authority commissioned a Navara single cab which was bought for USD$33 000.
Chairman of Gweru Residents Trust (GRT) Mr Antony Madzivanyika said the purchasing of the ambulance comes as a relief to patients as it becomes the reliable one as the other four are now old.
“This is a welcome development and we thank the Government for availing devolution funds. As residents we were tired of hiring private cars or private ambulances to ferry our loved ones to the hospital because time and again the council ambulance fleet was always down,” he said. – The Chronicle
