The Sunday News
Mkhululi Ncube, Sunday News Reporter
BUBI Rural District Council has received $3 million devolution funds from the Government which has been channelled to critical sectors to improve the people’s lives.
The Government in the 2020 National Budget set aside $2,93 billion for devolution across the whole country.
Bubi RDC chief executive officer Mr Patson Mlilo told Sunday News that the money will be channelled towards education, health and water projects.
“We have received $7 801 000 million since last year and this year in May we got $3m. These funds have improved the face of rural local authorities. We have dug four boreholes, two classroom blocks and constructed Bona Clinic. The two classroom blocks at Bubi Primary and Esiphikeni Primary schools are waiting to be commissioned while the clinic is 80 percent complete and is set for commissioning later this month,” said Mr Mlilo.
He said the clinic was set to improve health access by people in the area.
“The clinic will reduce the distance travelled by our people as the new clinic is 80 kilometres away from the district hospital. This means people have been struggling to reach healthcare. Expecting mothers and people not feeling well will find relief once the clinic is open,” he said.
Mr Mlilo said shortages of schools remain one of the greatest challenges facing the district.
“Bubi is three quarters new resettlements, we need eight secondary, 14 primary schools on top of accommodation for teachers and seven clinics. We hope to receive more funds so that we reduce the shortages,” he said.
Mr Mlilo said with climate change, water has also become a priority.
“We had wanted to use part of our funds to buy a rig so that we drill our own boreholes but the money was not enough. We are hoping to do that once we receive more allocations so that we save money on hiring rigs from private players which are very expensive,” said Mr Mlilo.
He said council has also started consulting residents and mining companies in the district on settling part of their rates in foreign currency.
“We have already started to consult residents and other stakeholders. In Bubi we have many mining companies who sell their gold partly in US dollars and partly in local currency. We are negotiating with their associations so that they also pay us partly in forex since Government has given us the green light to open nostro accounts,” said Mr Mlilo.
On the money received this year, Mr Mlilo said council has used the money to avoid it being eroded by inflation.
Early this year, the Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs, Cde Richard Moyo, urged local authorities in the province to quickly channel devolution funds towards development projects before the money loses value due to prevailing inflationary pressures.
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