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Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter

Gokwe South Rural District Council is stepping up efforts to improve service delivery, especially the upgrading of roads and buying critical equipment with its devolution funds.

The equipment includes a back hoe loader, a motorised grader and two tipper trucks worth $19,6 million.

Under devolution, local authorities are supposed to invest in transforming the lives of communities with the Second Republic allowing people to decide the type of developmental projects they need for their communities.

Speaking while commissioning the equipment recently, Minister of State for National Security Cde Owen Ncube said Gokwe South Rural District Council was undertaking several projects in line with President Mnangagwa’s policy of development where no one would be left behind.

 “The equipment l am commissioning today was bought using devolution funds which were availed by the Government which is seeking to empower our local communities. They saw it fit to consider buying road maintenance equipment since roads play a key and pivotal role in the socio-economic and political development of the entire nation.

“The district has a road network of 2 978km, both earth and gravel roads, which were very difficult to maintain,” said Minister Ncube.

He said the equipment will go a long way in complementing the available equipment to ensure good roads, adding that the commissioning of the equipment came at the backdrop of the declaration by Government of roads as a state of disaster, so allowing more direct intervention and funding from central Government.

 “Government did so in order to facilitate the release of funds for road maintenance and repair works and made this decision fully aware that many roads were extensively damaged by rains so this equipment will complement’s Government thrust towards sprucing up the district’s road network,” said Minister Ncube.

Many bus and transport operators had been shunning some rural roads because they are in a bad state and some unscrupulous operators are charging unaffordable bus fares or transport charges. Grocery shops have in turn had to hike prices for basic commodities.

Minister Ncube it was possible to achieve Vision 2030, once all efforts were directed towards ‘making that Vision a reality”.

He applauded Gokwe South Rural District Council for investing in improving service delivery, at a time some councils have been implicated in abusing funds.

Road equipment is a popular choice for many councils when it comes to spending their devolution funds with construction of schools,clinics and drilling boreholes being the other projects.