Angelah Nothando Mlotshwa
Citizens have expressed different views over the government plans to enact a law that bars uneducated residents from running for local authority seats.
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo told The Sunday Mail that the Attorney-General (AG)’s office is currently drafting amendments to the Rural Districts Council Act so as to enact the law that will disqualify uneducated citizens from contesting in local authority elections.
The law will, among other things, seek to fix qualifications for those running for council office.
This in a way will produce councilors with innovative minds who will then be able to improve service delivery.
Minister Moyo revealed that Cabinet adopted principles to the Bill in March last year 2022.
“So, we believe that individuals running a city, town or even a rural district must be capable and have the requisite skills and knowledge”, Moyo quoted saying.
ZIM GBC NEWS engaged different citizens who expressed different views on the matter at hand.
“It is unconstitutional and blow to democracy, but realistically we need people who are educated to appreciate statecraft and updated dynamics of leadership .It will assist in coming up with well thought and progressive policies that help councils to be centres of excellence , instead they have been reduced to commissioners of oath , by just stamping and signing, certifying management resolutions without any scrutiny.
There are many examples where reports from procurement, audit, accounts , are scrutinized due to limited probity .One can only be a watchdog or supervisor of the management when they posses skilled qualifications. Out of that they are simply adding numbers”, said Hebert Chikosi former journalist.
“ZNOART welcomes the proposal by the government to enact a law that will set minimum qualifications for councilors. Our residents will no longer be led by people who didn’t go to school.”
“ZNOART as a residents and residents associations apex body has always preached education to councilors. It is very unfortunate that the call has always fallen on deaf ears. Most councilors laughed at the call and acted as if we were not talking to them.”
“The call was made with the understanding that public representation, management and good service delivery needs the educated, especially in a world where the learned experts circumvent processes and procedures and cheat the uneducated public representatives.”
“The reason why we find ourselves in this deep mess of poor service delivery and poverty of leadership as a country is because of voting the uneducated people who are populist and mediocre in terms of performance output, into positions.”
“There is no reason really as to why most of these councilors do not have even the simplest of the qualifications that any normal and progressive human being has. I do understand that most of them used to be poor but they are now in councils and have resources to go to school but they refuse because they are more focused on thieving from the people and collapsing our institutions that we can ill afford not to have.”, said Ryan Mpofu
ZNOART Acting National Secretary for Information and Publicity
However some of the interviewed citizens dismissed the view that qualifications are needed.
“From the way I see things, leadership in most cases is an in born thing that runs in one’s blood. To me there is a thin line between leadership and management. What it really calls for, we really need to come up with people of integrity in the sense of humanity that they understand human beings, they understand the background of a place where they are. It doesn’t need one to be a scientist to have that understanding. Yes there can be a set qualification so that at least one is able to interpret some of the statutes that are being put. But what disappoints with even the said educated people is that the highest corrupt people that we are seeing exploiting and doing things are the people who are educated because they are even able to manipulate and interpret things the best way they will be wanting them to be…Education is not the best qualification for one to be in leadership, its about appreciation of human kind understand what people want and be innovative in your thinking”, said Bulawayo United Residents Association Chairman Winos Dube.
“There is a difference between being educated and learned. I suggest they should consider learned and maturity”, said Newman Sibanda.
In terms of councilors qualifications they were expected to at least have a tertiary education qualification however, the proposed bill will clarify what the minimum qualifications will be.