Maravi

Letters - Councils

Do we need councils?
By Mkandawire Stein
Wednesday June 11, 2008 [04:00]

I am at pains with our local authorities and I feel like their existance is unwanted. Since the coming into power of the MMD government, the local authorities are performing below the required and expected standards. Most councils, if not all of them, have turned their responsibilty to allocation of plots and very little services are provided to the residence. What we see from councils is plot allocation as their daily activity only.

A case in point is the street lighting and maintenance of residential roads. In all the residence there are no street lights and thieves have taken advantage of the darkness to break into people’s houses and therafter take cover in dark corners. This is a very worrying situation and so far there are no signs that things will improve.

The residential roads are so bad and I feel sorry for the young ones as the dusty and windy season comes. How do we attain the millennium goals with this kind of environment? Why do we complain about the reduced life expetancy in the midst of all these shortcomings from our local authorities? Why should I continue paying personal levy to the local authority when I cannot derive any service from them? Why should I pay the land rates? Why should I pay parking fee when where I park my car there are plenty of potholes? These are questions that the local authorities should endeavour to answer and prove a point for their existance. I feel all these services that we pay for just go to fatten the employes and councillors whose aim is to amass plots and later on sell them at very exorbitant prices.

I am making an appeal to the local government minister to reduce the workforce in councils so that there can be a saving towards service delivery. I would also want the minister to propose that a person should make a choice where to pay their personal levy, either to their home council or where they reside.

Labels: COUNCILS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT

posted by MrK @ 5:48 AM