Communities in Matabeleland South have said lack of accountability and transparency, corruption, inadequate public participation, poor planning, poor monitoring and evaluation are the major causes of poor service delivery in the province.
In separate interviews citizens said service delivery remains a challenge since authorities were neglecting different problems faced by citizens.They said the local authorities ignore residents` complaints.
In Plumtree, some streets lights in several wards of the border town are not functioning.Residents say the lights have not been functioning for years now despite that they notified the responsible authorities.
A concerned resident said, for a longtime the lights have not been functioning.
He also noted that the Plumtree City Council (PCC) has cited failure of citizens to pay street lights money as the problem that has slowed down the process of putting the lights back on.
“The street lights challenge is one of the causes of increased reports of house break-ins in different Plumtree wards,” he said. “Darkness acts as a catalyst for these break-ins to take place. When it is dark, thieves find reason to rob citizens of their valuables in their homes.”
A member of a crime committee which has been formed to help the police fight crime in Plumtree ward 3, Mr Ntobeko Moyo said some of the street lights have not been functioning since 2002.
“Infrastructure is there,” he said. “What is needed is just two bulbs per street light. Just a few years after white people left the area, the lights were not functioning. It`s 18 years now and they are still collecting street light money but nothing is being done. I have personally engaged the council for over 4years now.
“That area is now full of robbers over the past month or so. We have begun forming crime committees. We now have neighborhoods that patrol the area. Each patrol team has one or two officers with them. For the past week there has been a decrease of crime reports especial in the areas where there are patrols.”
Mr. Moyo said while authorities are required to deal with corruption challenges as well as improve accountability and transparency, citizen participation in critical situations that need change and innovation is essential.
Mr Moyo said in their area each household pays 10 Rand while other places require 20 Rands per month to pay the recruited neighborhoods watchmen, purchasing of whistles and airtime.
“This is a great initiative as it highlights citizen participation in trying to eradicate crime,” he said.
Mr Moyo added that in all the six wards, crime committees have been formed to try and eradicate the increasing crime cases. Their role is to help the police at community level such as reporting any illegal activities taking place.
As result of the closure of bars due to the COVID 19 lockdown, illegal drinking spots in which parties, gambling and prostitution sometimes take place have increased.
These crime committees are there to try and stop such activates.
Delivering quality service is an essential tactic for success and survival of communities.
An improved service delivery process primarily improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the manner of which services are delivered.
A flexible response from local authorities to the concerned citizens` complaints is key characteristics of a community with a good service delivery. However, the council is encouraged to look into the street light challenge that is promoting crime activities in different Plumtree wards.
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