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Union Gold Group Chairperson Raises Timely Service Delivery Questions

Mr O'Donnell said in Lusaka last week that rates were there to ensure property owners had good roads, water, streetlights and signs as well proper drainage systems, among others.

"Rather than discussing the issue of how much money companies under Union Gold pays the council annually, let us talk of one of the smallest areas of Lusaka being Sunningdale where I live."

"This is a small area where the combined property rates should be in the region of K1 billion per year. If you say that over a 10-year period the rates collected from Sunningdale come to K10 billion, then one would expect to see at least something happening in Sunningdale.

"I have lived in Sunningdale for more than 10 years. The roads have potholes, there are no street signs or lights, the drainages are blocked," he said.

Mr O'Donnell claimed that no single Kwacha that property owners paid had been spent in Sunningdale which he said was wrong.

"Certainly, it is true that not all money can be spent in the area where it is raised as there are many other pressing matters to attend to, but over a 10 year period, to have nothing at all spent of the money raised in Sunningdale, is not at all acceptable. Where did all the money go which the residents of Sunningdale paid?" Mr O'Donnell asked.

He said there was need to ensure that there was no politics involved in the provision of services, unlike in Government where there were political considerations on what was done.

"Unfortunately many years ago, in the first Republic, local government became political and rate payers lost the right to direct how their rates were spent.

"Local councils became political and no longer answerable to the rate payers. This is where the whole system went wrong and the time has come to revert to the original system," he said.

Mr O'Donnell said civic affairs had to be de-politicised and control of what happens in councils handed back to the ratepayers.

"If a person is not a property owner, and does not pay rates, then frankly he should not have a say in what goes on within the council. The council is simply there to carry out the provision of services," he said.

He also proposed that rate payers be allowed to decide the structure of a council and should have the right, through their elective representatives, to hire and fire the employees of the council.

"By law a council should produce a budget each year and this budget has to be published in the media for all the rate payers to see, secondly councils should be compelled to produce annual accounts and these also have to be published," he said.

Mr O'Donnell said the Ministry of Local Government and Housing should ensure that the councils adhered to the law and should allow councils to get on with the provision of services and not allowed to be engaged in politics.

"If there is no service delivery and the council has misused rate payers' money, then again this is where there is need for the ministry to intervene.It is, however, not up to the ministry to decide on how a council should run and what services are provided," he said.

And Mr Mulongoti urged the business community to engage MPs to introduce a private members' bill on proposals to improve civic operations.

"Such suggestions can be supported in Parliament. In addition, the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is still sitting and we are waiting for these brilliant suggestions."

"As business houses, you allow people who don't own property to make decisions for you. Why haven't we seen prominent businessmen becoming councillors and mayors so that they can participate in decision-making? Politics is not for criminals because it affects all of you hence I challenge you to come and participate," Mr Mulongoti said.

He said the business community was also free to go to council chamber meetings held by councillors and make their contributions.

[Times Of Zambia]