Shakas blames poor service delivery on Rupiah’s directives

Shakas blames poor service delivery on Rupiah’s directives
By Namatama Mundia
Wed 05 May 2010, 03:50 CAT

MMD Katuba member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa has said the government is killing service delivery because of certain directives by President Rupiah Banda.

Shakafuswa, who is a member of the parliamentary committee on local governance, housing and chiefs affaires made the observation after Kitwe City Council town clerk Ali Simwinga submitted to the committee on Monday that his council was owed about K27.8 billion as at December 31, 2008 by various corporate and individual debtors and that they had difficulties collecting the money.

Shakafuswa said the government was making service delivery difficult for the local authorities due to some of the directives that are made by President Banda such as the stopping of the councils from engaging bailiffs on defaulters.

“Such comments are killing service delivery from going forward. Now if they (council) don’t get their money (K27.8 billion), how are they going to run the council?” he asked.

Simwinga submitted that his council had since 2004 tried to come up with strong measures to ensure that all collectible revenues were collected.

“Realistic targets for debt collectors had been set after the new valuation roll and bailiffs had been engaged to force debtors into paying promptly,” Simwinga said.

“However, these measures have constantly been thrown off balance by numerous negative political pronouncements such as the one stopping the council from engaging bailiffs as well as ministerial directives such as the one in 2007 requiring the council to give a 50 per cent rebate on all outstanding owners rate debts and a further five per cent discount for those paying in full.”

He noted that effects of such pronouncements have been to the disadvantage of the council, resulting in the shelving of so many developmental projects due to lack of funds.

On the K32 billion unpaid credit as at December 31, 2008, Simwinga said the scenario came as a result of various government reforms that reduced capacity of the councils.

“Reforms such as the statutory requirement of retiring officers at 22 years period of service coupled with the 50 per cent salary increment in 2001 overwhelmed the council,” Simwinga said.

“All this was in light of the presidential directive to sell council houses which was to reduce revenue base for the councils. After the new Valuation Roll which boosted the revenue base, councils put up programmes of liquidating mostly the statutory obligations by making part payments to LASF, NAPSA and Workmens’ Compensation, as well as the monthly programmes on paying retires,”

But committee chairperson Regina Musokotwane, who is Katombora UPND member of parliament, said the committee’s business was to ensure that the councils cleared all its debts.