The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube in Lupane
THE business and private sector should support the Government in implementing devolution to help in improving the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in provinces.
The Government is implementing devolution countrywide with the aim of giving autonomy to provinces to manage their own resources. Speaking at the Matabeleland North Devolution Conference held at Lupane State University in Lupane on Friday, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Cde July Moyo urged every stakeholder in the province to participate in the devolution process.
“All parastatals and private sector should be included in devolution. Public and private sector, chiefs and everyone in Matabeleland North must now come forward as we start working for provincial development. If this is to work, business must decentralise their activities and devolve power to provinces. Financing of devolution is now a reality and now that we have a budget, provincial council officers who qualify to be Members of Parliament, are preparing to start work,” said Cde Moyo.
He said devolution is a form of administrative decentralisation which comes with financial independence and entails statutory delegation of powers from Central Government of a sovereign State to govern at a sub-national level.
“Devolution is a much higher form of decentralisation and it’s rooted in the Constitution. All local authorities should tax land while Central Government taxes income. Local authorities cannot be poor when they have resources. Government is saying property tax shall be the responsibility of the local authority and taxed per unit of number of employees. I challenge local authorities to be aware of every claim allocated in their areas,” said Cde Moyo.
He said in a devolved state local authorities will be able to employ their own staff, make by-laws and raise their own tax.
The minister urged local authorities to do asset audit, identify developmental needs in their areas, prepare budgets for themselves and know their fiscal capacity to be able to come up with a provincial GDP.
Matabeleland North is lagging behind in terms of development despite being rich in natural resources that include coal, methane gas, gold, timber and has attractive tourist destinations Binga, Hwange National Park and the Victoria Falls.
Cde Moyo called for beneficiation of local resources for provincial development. He said Central Government will allocate equalisation grants to areas that have little or no meaningful resources. He said decentralisation started in the office of Provincial Affairs Minister and public service workers who are deployed to work in provinces. The Provincial Affairs Minister will be overall chair in the devolved provinces but should not be at loggerheads with the provincial council chair, cautioned Cde Moyo. He said chiefs are not members of the provincial council, but, however, there is a provision for each province to second two chiefs to sit in the council.
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