The Sunday News
Fairness Moyana Sunday News Correspondent
THE parallel authorities running Hwange town are hampering the growth and development of the area into a fully-fledged authority, amid reports of renewed conflict between residents in Empumalanga township and Hwange Local Board over the administration of the town, it has emerged.
In an interview, Hwange Local Board (HLB) town secretary Mr Ndumiso Mdlalose said the local authority was facing serious disparities mainly in the administration of the town caused by quasi-local structures pulling in different directions.
“From an administrative view-point, we are facing serious disparities in the administration of the town caused by the running of Hwange by several entities which are primarily companies. This has impacted negatively on the development and growth of the town as there is unfair utilisation of resources,” Mr Mdlalose said.
He said the local authority had since written a position paper on achieving one administrative authority to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and relevant stakeholders outlining how the problem was affecting the financial stability and growth of the town into a fully fledged authority.
The town has multiple administrative systems with a section that is under HLB while Hwange Colliery Company, Zimbabwe Power Company and National Railways of Zimbabwe also play a quasi-local authority role.
Mr Mdlalose said the system which was in violation of the country’s local governance laws as provided for in the constitution, had seen councillors from concession areas outnumbering those in HLB jurisdiction, thereby attracting low participation from residents when it came to planning and implementation of projects.
“Out of the 15 urban wards, seven are in Hwange Local Board jurisdiction while the remaining eight wards are from the company concession areas HCCL, ZPC and NRZ. It has become a nightmare for HLB which is facing pressure to deliver yet it doesn’t have comprehensive boundaries and functions. The position has become a major area of conflict for residents and council as the companies feel shortchanged urging that decisions are being made on their behalf by people who are detached from their plight as they make up the majority of council,” he said.
He added that the local authority was not collecting revenue from the eight wards which remained under the control of the companies whose local structures served private interests, thereby shortchanging the local authority. Councillors from the concession areas sit in the HLB and deliberate on issues that affect areas they have no jurisdiction over resulting in them failing to spearhead development and policy issues in the areas they represent. The councillors reportedly enjoy allowances and benefits from HLB while their areas are not contributing anything to the council.
The town secretary called on Government to bring sanity to the system that was confusing the thrust towards development, arguing that there was a need to go beyond mining by looking at other industries.
