Senators implore Govt to implement devolution

SENATORS have called on the Government to implement devolution as provided for in the constitution to ensure equal distribution of resources and opportunities to all the country's 10 provinces.

Debating a motion on devolution and cultural development moved by Bulawayo Senator Dorothy Khumalo in the Senate on Tuesday, Senators challenged the Government to speed up the implementation of devolution.

Bulawayo Senator Gedion Shoko implored Government to implement devolution saying it will go a long way in promoting development in the country and turning around the economy.

"In our constitution, there is talk about devolution. We adopted it when we were crafting this new constitution and everybody was agreed that it was the way to go. When Government implements devolution, districts or provinces will be self governing and making their own decisions.

"In other words, devolution is decentralisation of power to the advantage of provinces and districts. Now, what is surprising is that as a Government, we're not implementing the devolution policy as provided for in the constitution," said Sen Shoko.

He said the slow development of constituencies was as a result of Government's failure to implement devolution.

"The failure to implement devolution has resulted in some provinces lagging behind. People in these provinces are now complaining of being neglected. They feel that they're being treated as second class citizens in their motherland. Devolution means decentralising centres of power and this is vital for the development of our economy," said Sen Shoko.

Mashonaland West Senator Tapera Machingaifa concurred saying devolution will benefit all Zimbabweans.

"I want to emphasise that this is not a political issue. We have to work together as a nation and agree on our goals and make progress. What I want everybody to understand is that this is not a political issue.

"We need to implement devolution because it's for the benefit of the people of Zimbabwe. There are people in some of our provinces who believe there is no equal distribution of resources and opportunities," said Sen Machingaifa.

Gwanda Senator Bheki Sibanda said devolution would address issues such as historical inequality, exclusion and underdevelopment in some provinces.

"I would like to emphasise that when people who consider themselves minority appear to want to be heard, we should develop a culture of listening to them and hear what their concerns are.

"Having said that, I want to say that the constitution that we drafted is in my opinion based on our values as a nation and among those things, some of the attributes of that constitution include equality of opportunities," said Sen Sibanda.