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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Redcliff Town Council has engaged local skilled, but unemployed youths to carry out some of its services as part of its empowerment and cost reduction programme. The programme has benefited both youths and other members of the community, who have been engaged by council to offer services like public lighting repairs, refuse collection and sewage repairs, among others.

In an interview, Redcliff Mayor Councillor Clayton Masiyatsva said the programme was ongoing and had so far benefited about 200 people in the town.

“We discovered that we have a number of qualified, but unemployed youths in the area whom we can make use of and we decided to engage them on a number of programmes,” he said.

“So, instead of hiring companies to do public lights repairs, we engage a group of electrical engineers within the community who can do the job at a relatively cheaper cost.”

Cllr Masiyatsva said the programme had proven to be a success, with the most noticeable development being the fact that most tower lights were now operational.

“Besides being cheaper, it also gives the community a sense of ownership as the people feel they own the property and it minimises vandalism,” said Cllr Masiyatsva. He said the other area which had improved as a result of the programme was refuse collection.

“Instead of having full time workers, we engage the community, who offer the services at a cheaper cost,” said Cllr Masiyatsva.

“This has gone a long way in empowering the community which is struggling to make ends meet due to the closure of Ziscosteel.”

The programme comes at a time when the cash-strapped local authority is struggling to render services to its ratepayers owing to dwindling revenue collections.

The local authority has been struggling since steel giant Ziscosteel stopped operating about a decade ago.

The local authority was also struggling to recover about $27 million it was owed by ratepayers and companies.