Corruption ranks as the most important problem facing local government. It comes as no surprise that candidates vying for the mayoral position of the City of Bulawayo (the city) agree on one thing – dealing with the endemic corruption is core to the restoration of the city’s accountability and integrity.
The rapid decline of the once vibrant economic hub of Matabeleland and Zimbabwe is self-evident and of great concern to the residents of Bulawayo; the city now lies in a near ruinous state unable to protect its population of over half a million residents from the impact of poverty; the city is unable to deliver basic services and effective leadership.
Bulawayo mayoral candidate David Coltart’s non-partisan and strong message on the importance of accountability in how the city conducts its business is welcome.
Most of Bulawayo’s problems have their root in corruption which is a feature of contemporary Zimbabwe governance; corruption undermines the city’s ability to generate funds, effectively deliver services to residents and maintain byelaws; in turn, this affects the business climate and stands in the way of sustainable economic and social development.
Research is consistent in its findings that the corruption at the top is disproportionately hitting hardest at the marginalised residents of Bulawayo whose access to essential services is affected by wastage of public resources through fraudulent contracts to private business.
A permissive environment has been created in the city for corruption to cut across all levels of society unhindered. We have an ongoing problem of fraud and with tender issuance; the lack of transparency means contracts are not always given to the best bidder but the most politically connected or one willing to offer the highest bribe.
Combating corruption and promoting accountability must be prioritised in the city. We need to develop innovative ways of building effective, accountable, and transparent systems to effectively deliver services. The city leaders must be clear about the interventions to ensure clarity on dealing with all corrupt actors.
Bulawayo cannot fight corruption single handed; any success will rely on the state’s willingness to strengthen legislation to prevent corruption and bring corrupt entities and individuals to justice. Legal frameworks, institutions, and capacities must be enacted and sustained to prevent, detect, and prosecute corruption.
We believe the government needs to decentralise power to local government, and with the power already at the disposal of the city leaders, decentralising it to re-distribute it across all levels of society and localisation of decision-making processes is essential. We must create pathways that give citizens relevant tools to engage and participate in local governance – identify priorities, problems, and find solutions.
Cutting the red tape would be essential to transparency. The city must bring together formal and informal processes (this means working with the city leaders as well as non-governmental groups) to change behaviour and provide oversight.
We need to enhance the process of tender applications and improve the ability of all businesses to access local authority contract opportunities. This will increase competition in public procurement and foster the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in public procurement. We can achieve this by reducing the bureaucracy inherent in the tender process, cutting the cost of participation in public procurement, and streamlining the tender process.
Access to public contracts by SMEs and other target companies can be facilitated by localisation rules requiring a portion of the city contracts to be awarded to local SMEs, women, and other target groups.
Optimisation of the power of technology to build dynamic and continuous interactions between key stakeholders (city leaders, civil society, business, etc.) is essential to transparency.
In dealing with corruption, punishing actors is a vital component of any effective anti-corruption effort, but those in charge need expertise to create robust and applicable laws. Investment in local institutions and policy will be fundamental for sustainable improvement in how the city delivers services. This is only possible when those in power are willing to apply legislation in place with neither fear nor favour.
We need an oversight of the city’s policies so that they are continually monitored and evaluated to make sure they remain responsive to presenting situation on the ground.
A highly centralised Zimbabwe government system deprives city leaders of the power and vital funds to make decisive moves to effectively deal with specific local issues. Corruption which is now the face of the city has a corrosive effect over citizens’ confidence in the city; it has made Bulawayo poor and marginalised a large proportion of its population. Down to corruption, available resources do not permeate downwards, and the wellbeing of the population has worsened in at least three decades. For progress, local governance must be inclusive and truly representative of society. The city’s efforts at dealing with corruption need to be executed in collaboration with residents’ committees.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 