Harare City councillors have given town clerk Hosiah Chisango until October 31 to provide them with iPads in a move set to raise the ire of residents receiving poor service delivery from the local authority.
by XOLISANI NCUBE
Minutes of the finance and development committee, tabled at a recent council meeting, show that councillors said the iPads were needed to avoid consumption of paper on documents as well as equip them with the latest information technology gadgets.
“It is resolved that the town clerk be tasked to ensure that councillors and relevant officials are provided with I-pads by October 31, 2018,” part of the minutes read.
This is not the first time that councillors have made such demands, with some who were in the previous council having threatened to boycott meetings if they were not given iPads as promised.
Normally, council communications are printed and distributed, but the move has been seen as going against green economy that advocates for a paperless society and the preservation of waste.
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In January this year, government ordered that Bulawayo councillors pay for the free iPads they had received from council, with authorities stating that the municipality had no right to purchase the gadgets for the city fathers.
Meanwhile, council has resolved to commercialise part of its health service units in a bid to improve service delivery. Among services set to be commercialised with an initial capital injection of between $100 000 to $200 000 includes, the department of pest control service, the department of radiological services and the city’s pharmaceuticals.
Council also resolved to project an initial capital injection of$5 million for its hospitality ventures, which are, Cleveland and Harava dams where hotels and chalets are set to be constructed.
At the Harava Dam, council plans to construct a three-star hotel, upmarket ethnic lodges with camping sites and a golf course, among other recreational facilities.
In the city centre, council wants to refurbish the two old bus termini, Market Square and Charge Office, with a view to expand them.