Date: 17 October 2013
Contact:
Emmanuel Ndlovu
Programmes
and Advocacy Manager
Bulawayo
Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
BCC Should Recalibrate Budget Formulation Process
The Bulawayo
Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) is calling upon the Bulawayo City
Council (BCC) to transform the way it formulates its budget as the current method
is failing to adequately address the livelihood needs of residents. It is the
association’s contention that the process is largely tokenistic, with the final
determinations being arrived at by the local authority technocrats while the
views of residents are largely discarded. In addition, only a handful of
residents are consulted, with meetings inadequately publicised and the process
designed in a top-down manner without much room for residents to shape the
outcome of the consultations. While indeed residents are given room to air
their views, there is no means for them to know how the final budget is arrived
at. BPRA also feels that the once-off budget consultation meetings are
inadequate to truly capture the views of residents on the budget. Methods such
as surveys and ongoing meetings should also be considered.
BPRA believes that
budgets should be crafted in line with the realities faced by the residents of
Bulawayo. In tandem with this, they should be evolved to include a component
that ensures that small grants are devolved to communities (wards or suburbs)
to spend on things that they need. Such an approach would be pragmatic in light
of the fact that the needs of communities across the 29 wards of Bulawayo
differ. Thus in line with the principle of subsidiarity, it would be prudent
for the budget to be moulded in line with the needs of communities, and for
every community to be allocated grants for projects that need to be completed
in that particular community. In such a scenario, consultations would have to
be more rigorous, with a radical shift towards dialogic methods of including residents
in budget consultations to ensure that the true needs of residents are captured
in the budget formulation process.
BPRA believes BCC’s budget
consultations are failing in this regard, with the views of residents from
different realities being lumped together, leading to budgets that do not
address pertinent issues faced by residents. This may explain why to date some areas
in Cowdray Park still have no running water, while housing infrastructure in
areas such as Sidojiwe Flats, Pelandaba and Iminyela is in a state of
disrepair. Swimming pools in Barbourfields, Luveve and Mpopoma are not
functioning, while elderly residents in areas such as Old Magwegwe, Makokoba
and Mzilikazi are not receiving any social services from the local authority.
BPRA believes these are everyday issues and problems that can be addressed if
the budget process is recalibrated to focus on ward issues and if the views of
residents from communities are actually considered in the formulation of the
budget.
Signed
.........................................................
Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu
Programmes and Advocacy
Manager
Bulawayo Progressive
Residents Association (BPRA)
