Paidamoyo Muzulu THE old adage that “put your money where your mouth is” is proving to be true as local authorities enter the budgeting season. They are all showing their true colours despite their protestations to be leftist or in some instances, centrist parties.
It has been interesting to see the local authorities presenting their 2022 budgets. In all instances, the councils have nailed to the mast that their wish was to privatise public services or sell some of their properties to capital.
For the avoidance of doubt and situating my thinking contextually, the budgets of Harare and Masvingo city councils will suffice. But, before we get to see their numbers, let us revisit what local authorities are expected to do in terms of the constitution.
Section 276 of the Constitution says: “Subject to this Constitution and any Act of Parliament, a local authority has the right to govern, on its own initiative, the local affairs of the people within the area for which it has been established, and has all the powers necessary for it to do so.”
The powers given to local authorities are broad and touch on nearly everyday activities of the residents in a specified local authority.
The councils on their own initiative govern the local affairs of the people within the area for which they have been established.
What are local affairs? The phrase may sound small, but it is loaded. It refers to housing, shops, schools, clinics/hospitals, roads, water and sewage reticulation, water and sewage treatment, water provision, public lighting, fire and ambulance services, playgrounds, public gardens and library facilities, refuse collection, building and construction and community halls, among other things.
The Constitution in section 276(2) reads: “An Act of Parliament may confer functions on local authorities, including — (a) power to make by-laws, regulations or rules for the effective administration of the areas for which they have been established and (b) a power to levy rates and taxes and generally to raise sufficient revenue for them to carry out their objects and responsibilities.”
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It is from section 276(2)(b) of the Constitution that local authorities are given express power to tax residents. These taxes or levies may be for housing, water, fire and emergency service, schools, clinics, roads, sewage and water, library and parks. These may also include shop licence fees, car parking, building levies, dog licences, bicycle licences and liquor licensing, among other things.
These services are a huge task and need a budget and human resources to deliver on them. The law demands that councils should craft budgets and present them to the people before they are implemented.
It is this process of open and accountable local government that is crucial. This process involves the tabling of all expected revenues and total expenses in a given financial year.
Masvingo, for example, decided that health services are now based on market rates plus a 25% administration charge. In other words, primary healthcare services are now at full cost recovery plus an administration surcharge.
Health is a fundamental right. How many of the poor residents will be able to afford these services?
On the other hand, Harare has proposed the disposal of some council non-income-generating businesses.
The council has, over the years, been stripped of its low-density housing, residential flats and medium density housing stocks. It now wants to sell some of the local authority’s business concerns without considering how to revive them.
More importantly, the council since 2018 cannot bill its residents in real time, neither does it know the full extent of its assets since its asset register is in shambles.
Fundamentally, from the two cities, it is becoming clear that both their elected and appointed leadership is neoliberal in ideology.
They are beholden to the thinking that free markets and privatisation are a panacea to all their problems.
Over the years, the local authorities, like many others, have been leaving council properties like community halls, public swimming baths, creches, public parks and libraries decay. In some instances, these properties have been doled out to private players for a song.
Most, if not all, have sold residential properties at knockdown prices to the politically-connected and in the process, have to rent at market rates houses for their senior executives.
This thinking is also exhibited at the highest level in central government. Government, mostly Zanu PF-led since independence in 1980, has doled out its houses and land to party honchos and apparatchiks for a song.
In many towns, including the capital Harare, senior government officials now stay in rented accommodation, with some staying in five-star hotels for more than a year at the State’s expense.
The time is nigh that residents protect council property from being doled out to the rich. It is also time that elected leaders should know and understand that local government is about public service and not profiteering.
Residents across Zimbabwe have a duty to fight neoliberalism in their communities. They have a duty to resist these budgets as tabled until they reflect their wishes.
At the same time, Zimbabweans should demand a transparent manner in the disbursement of devolution funds from central government to local authorities.
The fight against privatisation should be re-energised. Water and electricity should not be privatised and the use of prepaid meters should stop.
Water should be available and accessible to all. Health facilities and educational centres should be adequately financed for human development.
Public libraries and community halls that have been privatised or leased to the rich should be reclaimed or the leases cancelled. All council properties, if necessary, should be leased at full cost recovery basis.
The budget season is going to be a long summer, but residents have to be up to the fight come rain, come sunshine or most would be paupers by winter searching for busfare to their rural areas.
