Council reports on devolution progress at NDS1 Multi Stakeholder Consultative Meeting

On the 10th of May 2023, Rusape Town Council and other stakeholders attended the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) multi-stakeholder consultative meeting at Vengere 602 Hall. The NDS1 consultative meeting was presided by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development Honourable Minister Clemence Chiduwa together with some senior representatives from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the DDC for Manicaland Mr Mashinge. The main thrust of the consultative meeting was to enlighten stakeholders on the importance attached to the NDS1 blueprint and its main pillars. Stakeholders were reminded of the critical roles they are expected to play in making meaningful contributions towards the success of NDS1. During the NDS1 meeting, Rusape Town Council made a presentation during which Council highlighted some of the projects that it managed to undertake with the devolution funds that it received from the central government. Using devolution funds and in the spirit of fulfilling the objectives of the NDS1, Council managed to drill three boreholes in Wards 5, 6, and 9. This was done in recognition of the challenges confronting Council in terms of supplying potable clean water to residents owing to load shedding being experienced at water stations and throughout the town. This will enable residents to have access to alternative sources of water whenever there are potable water supply challenges. Boreholes are also meant to reduce the chances of water-borne diseases like Cholera, to date Rusape has not had a single case of Cholera during the current outbreak which is being experienced countrywide.

Council further reported on how it managed to procure a refuse compactor for the provision of sanitation services through refuse collection. In addition, utility vehicles in the form of three pickup trucks and a hydraulics-enabled lorry were acquired for the purposes of improving the mobility of technical teams during service delivery. The deputy minister and all stakeholders in attendance were
informed of the construction of the water reticulation system in Magamba Ward

Using the devolution funds, Council also purchased and installed street solar lights in Ward 5 to improve public safety at night. Council is moving in line with the president’s mantra of not leaving anyone or any place behind as it is striving to cater for every resident, stakeholder and every corner under the jurisdiction of Rusape in terms of development. The NDS1 consultative meeting provided Rusape stakeholders with a more intimate understanding of the national development agenda, its pillars and the role various stakeholder have to play in bringing Vision 2030 to fruition. Stakeholders were
urged to utilise the resources which are locally available and to process them in order to achieve beneficiation thereby achieving value addition for the betterment of Rusape town and Manicaland as a province. Rusape Town Council has already endeared itself to using internal resources to facilitate development in line with the president’s mantra, “brick upon brick/nyika inovakwa nemwene vayo” as the town edges towards attaining smart city status.