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Nduduzo Tshuma Bulawayo Bureau

GOVERNMENT has increased the budgetary allocation for devolution to ensure an improvement in service delivery across Zimbabwe, President Mnangagwa said yesterday.

Speaking as he commissioned 76 Zupco buses in Bulawayo, President Mnangagwa called on local authorities to take advantage of this rise to identify and prioritise their development needs.

“My Government remains committed to the full implementation of devolution. My Minister of Finance, who is here, Honourable Mthuli Ncube, is increasing budgetary allocations towards devolution, which means there will be more funding made available to provinces, rural district councils and urban councils in order to assist you to increase service delivery,” he said.

“Therefore, communities, urban and rural, must take full advantage of this development and prioritise your various development needs.

“You must be able, at the local community level, to identify your respective community needs and prioritise them. We will support you with funding.”

President Mnangagwa called for cohesion between local authorities and the Government.

“I urge local authorities to always work with Government in unity for the good of our nation and all our people. We are stronger when we are united.”

The President warned that officials who engage in corrupt activities would face the law.

“However, I warn those running rural district councils and urban councils to shun corruption. If you shun corruption, I will shun removing you. Otherwise those who engage in corruption, with me we part ways,” he said.

The Government allocated the funds to be shared among the 10 provinces based on a number of factors such as poverty levels in all rural districts, quality of infrastructure and size of population.

Last month, Prof Ncube said the Government would disburse the remaining $417 million from this year’s devolution allocation of $703 million to councils within two months.

President Mnangagwa urged local authorities to rehabilitate and construct modern and complementary infrastructure such as bus terminuses and bus stops to ensure safety, timeliness, efficiency and convenience to the commuting public.

“I equally urge the various stakeholders to adopt modern technologies to minimise leakages and optimise operations in the implementation of this programme,” said President Mnangagwa.

Meanwhile, the President urged travellers to keep the buses clean.

He said rural communities in Matabeleland region will start benefiting from subsidised Zupco services as the 76 buses enter service with most expected to ply routes in Matabeleland North and South provinces.

The President said the fleet is expected to go a long way towards revamping the public transport delivery system and reduce the high transport costs in both rural and urban areas.

“These buses have a subsidy by Government, so they will remain cheap. This programme attests to my Government’s commitment and determination to improve the quality of life of the ordinary people in line with our vision to become a middle-income society by 2030.

“In this regard, we are determined to ensure that our developmental programmes leave no one behind,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said it is the Government’s vision to have an efficient, reliable, safe and affordable transport sector.

President Mnangagwa said the country is going to have in excess of 1 500 buses brought from China, Belarus and South Africa.

“Some of the buses are from Belarus. Of the 500 coming from Belarus, 300, we have agreed, will come to Zimbabwe as knocked down kits to be assembled here locally to provide employment,” said the President.

He said Zupco is presently ferrying more than 300 000 commuters to various destinations each day across Zimbabwe.

“Today we are commissioning an additional 76 buses as I speak, the delivery of the balance of the buses is ongoing, they are already over 76 because others are on the road coming.

Acting Zupco chief executive officer Mr Evaristo Madangwa said they are offering affordable transport services in Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare, Kwekwe, Gweru, Chinhoyi, Gokwe and recently in Chiredzi.

“We are set to re-open our Gwanda and Hwange depots and commence operations in those towns. These outlying depots will be our springboard for reaching out to remote rural areas,” he said.

Significant progress has been made in re-opening dormant depots like Karoi, Rusape and Kariba.

“We are on target to reach the target fleet size having secured 312 commuter omnibuses to date of which 80 of those omnibuses are plying Bulawayo routes. We have got 507 buses countrywide,” he said.