Regional residents associations in collaboration drive

By Thandeka Matebesi 

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) held a Regional Residents’ Summit for Matabeleland on Wednesday aimed at promoting collaboration among residents associations (RAs) within the region.

The summit was running under the theme “Fostering collaboration among residents associations for improved residents participation, good governance and accountability”. The event was attended by representatives from Maphisa RA, Greater Hwange Residents Trust, Bulawayo United Residents Association, Esigodini RA, Binga RA, only to name a few. It took place at Lalani Hotel in Bulawayo.

Speaking on the sidelines, BPRA Coordinator Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu said the summit was a way of pushing the residents’ agenda.The summit was meant to increase networks, contacts and promote good relations among RAs in our region. It is  also to aimed at driving the residents’ agenda. We have realised that there are times when even the local authorities and local governance ministry target those RAs in remote areas when they want to introduce some policies because they would have failed to get through to us. It then becomes difficult for us as BPRA to then say we do not want such and such  policy because everyone else would have accepted. 

“Therefore, we want to strengthen these movements so that we all work together to promote accountability among local authorities and local governance ministry and that there are robust debates on issues of policy”, said Ndlovu.

Speaking at the  same event on the effect of the recalling of councillors and MPs on service delivery, Mr Khumbulani Maphosa who is the secretary general of Bulawayo Water Alliance said the current recalls had nothing to do with failure to deliver by the leaders therefore they are detrimental to service delivery.

He however, said that they were in some instances good in that they served as a warning to other leaders that positions are not permanent.The current recalls are wrong as they are not based on failure by the leaders to execute their mandate. Instead they are driven by the hunger for power by individuals.

“Recalling leaders like what is happening creates a bad perception on the whole concept of democracy. It is also problematic in terms of service delivery especially holding leaders accountable.” he added.

However, in some instances these recalls could possibly turn out to be a  good thing in that they rid residents of underperforming leaders who were not contributing towards any development”, said Maphosa.

Another speaker Dr Gracious Maviza from the National University of Science and Technology-Institute of Development Studies (IDS) said that COVID-19 further exposed the weakness in the service delivery system.

“The service delivery system in the country has been bad for some time now and COVID19 just came and further complicated the already complicated situation in terms of service delivery”, she said.