News / National
Mayor blames national policies for bad term in office
17 May 2018 at 02:11hrs | Views
Bulawayo Mayor Alderman Martin Moyo (second from right) receives a certificate and a casket conferring him as an alderman from Deputy Mayor Cllr Gift Banda during the conferment of councillors to aldermen at the large City Hall on Monday. looking on (right) is the Mayoress Violet Moyo.- (Pic By Denn
THE past five years have not been easy for the Bulawayo City Council due to great strain and a lot of tests that negatively affected the local authority's ability to provide efficient services, Bulawayo Mayor Alderman Martin Moyo has said.
In his valedictory message to the people of Bulawayo to review his term of office from September 2013 to March 2018 on Monday, Ald Moyo said some of the challenges that the city council faced were due to stringent national policies.
He was addressing Bulawayo residents at an event that coincided with the elevation of 17 councillors and former councillors to alderman status and awarding of civic honours.
"In the years under review, the city of Bulawayo came under great strain and a lot of tests. The council was affected by a number of investigations and suspensions. The financial implications have been a challenge to the operations of the local authority.
"It was indeed a trying time and I'm hopeful that as a city we learnt from our errors and we'll implement processes and procedures that provide a better Bulawayo," said Ald Moyo.
He said some of the adverse policies which heavily impacted the council's operations include the Government's directive to write off debts accrued to residents in July 2013.
"To this end, an amount of $49 million was written off, negatively affecting council's ability to provide efficient services and collect future revenues, while residents welcomed the move.
"Challenges such as liquidity crunch, unemployment and political pronouncements have continued to negatively affect target collections. As a consequence of rate payers not paying their bills, the debtors figure as at February 2018 stands at $176 million," said Ald Moyo.
He said this has made it difficult for council to service its creditors, which as at February 2018, stands at $173 million.
"Some of the challenges we have faced have been due to stringent national policies and it's my hope that going forward the national Government will be able to create an enabling environment for business.
"I'm hopeful that as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set a national slogan that Zimbabwe is open for business, the resultant Government policies must reassure residents, stakeholders and possible investors that we're indeed open for business," said Ald Moyo.
He added that water has remained a top priority, with the city achieving its strategic goal of improving the capacity of potable water supply from 125 megalitres to 140 megalitres per day.
"The provision of clean and safe drinking water remained key throughout the period under review although 100 percent water service provision was affected by El-Nino and La-Nina effects.
"The city's dams as at Friday, May 11, 2018 were 77,71 percent full," said Ald Moyo.
In his valedictory message to the people of Bulawayo to review his term of office from September 2013 to March 2018 on Monday, Ald Moyo said some of the challenges that the city council faced were due to stringent national policies.
He was addressing Bulawayo residents at an event that coincided with the elevation of 17 councillors and former councillors to alderman status and awarding of civic honours.
"In the years under review, the city of Bulawayo came under great strain and a lot of tests. The council was affected by a number of investigations and suspensions. The financial implications have been a challenge to the operations of the local authority.
"It was indeed a trying time and I'm hopeful that as a city we learnt from our errors and we'll implement processes and procedures that provide a better Bulawayo," said Ald Moyo.
He said some of the adverse policies which heavily impacted the council's operations include the Government's directive to write off debts accrued to residents in July 2013.
"To this end, an amount of $49 million was written off, negatively affecting council's ability to provide efficient services and collect future revenues, while residents welcomed the move.
"Challenges such as liquidity crunch, unemployment and political pronouncements have continued to negatively affect target collections. As a consequence of rate payers not paying their bills, the debtors figure as at February 2018 stands at $176 million," said Ald Moyo.
He said this has made it difficult for council to service its creditors, which as at February 2018, stands at $173 million.
"Some of the challenges we have faced have been due to stringent national policies and it's my hope that going forward the national Government will be able to create an enabling environment for business.
"I'm hopeful that as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set a national slogan that Zimbabwe is open for business, the resultant Government policies must reassure residents, stakeholders and possible investors that we're indeed open for business," said Ald Moyo.
He added that water has remained a top priority, with the city achieving its strategic goal of improving the capacity of potable water supply from 125 megalitres to 140 megalitres per day.
"The provision of clean and safe drinking water remained key throughout the period under review although 100 percent water service provision was affected by El-Nino and La-Nina effects.
"The city's dams as at Friday, May 11, 2018 were 77,71 percent full," said Ald Moyo.
Source - chronicle
