Poor attendance mars council pre-budget meetings

SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE

Mutare City Council has expressed concern over residents’ lack of interest in council operation displayed at the pre-2023 budgetary consultative meetings.

Business Times can report there were less than 10 in attendance when council held meetings in the city’s 18 wards in the past two weeks.

Mutare’s acting Town Clerk Blessing Chafesuka said residents should actively participate in such fora so that decisions are made with their input.

“We appeal for all residents of Mutare to be part of this consultation process as we want to work together and come up with a people- oriented and friendly 2023 budget,” Chafesuka said.

United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust coordinator, Edson Dube, said residents should participate in such important meetings that shape and affect their well-being.

“When a few people make decisions for the majority of us we will then complain that we were not consulted yet when given the chance people snub such events,” Dube said.

David Mutambirwa, the programmes co-ordinator of the Mutare Residents and Ratepayers’ Association bemoaned the failure by residents to attend the budget meetings adding that at the end, “it will be the few who will make decisions for those who don’t attend”.

“We miss an opportunity to communicate and interface with the technocrats on our priorities, challenges, and constraints.

“Engagements are always healthy as they give birth to sustainable development and demystify perceptions and misconceptions,” Mutambirwa told Business Times.

Itai Kariparire, the president of the Mutare Informal Traders Associations attributed the low turnout in some of the meetings to the economic situation where most people hustle for survival.

“People need to put food on their table and for them to think of attending such meetings, though important, it does not matter for them, which is quite unfortunate,” Kariparire said.

But, another Mutare resident Clifford Chapeyama called on Mutare City Council management to move with the times and have such discourse via WhatsApp groups as people are committed to other ‘pressing’ issues.

“They should create WhatsApp groups for our participation while also making ends meet. As long as people don’t own those resolutions, they will not support the outcome of the budget and the rates will not be paid,” Chapeyama said.

“They have to come up with a new way of attracting citizens’ participation as it is crucial for development.”

Key among the issues contained in the 2023 pre-budget is an increment in rates, in line with the prevailing environment, which some residents have objected to.

Given the City’s growing population, it is envisaged to increase the number of health centres and schools as those in place are being overwhelmed.

The council seeks to increase the number of primary and secondary schools in emerging residential suburbs, as learners over enroll existing schools.

Chafesuka said for every 5 000 households, there is supposed to be a council primary school.