By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
BEITBRIDGE Government departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should strengthen collaboration in development initiatives ensuring coordinated progress towards the attainment of Vision 2030.
This call was made by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation, Nditwani Muleya.
This was during a stakeholder engagement meetings held in Beitbridge on Tuesday.
Muleya said unity and coordination among development partners were critical if the country is to achieve its national development targets.
Her visit formed part of a nationwide tour aimed at assessing progress at local level towards Vision 2030, Zimbabwe’s target of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by the year 2030.
“Let us work together, for without teamwork we risk reaching 2030 without transforming the lives of our people. To achieve Vision 2030, we must be highly coordinated under the guidance of the District Development Coordinator (DDC), organised and united as one. This unity of purpose is the only way we can achieve our national goals,” said Muleya.
Objective of her visit was to engage stakeholders and ensure the district aligns its development programmes with the national vision.
“The purpose of this visit is to make sure we sit together and help each other so that by 2030 the district contributes towards the achievement of an upper-middle-income economy,” she said.
Muleya urged communities in Beitbridge to take an active role in driving development within their own district, citing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mantra “Shango li a fhatwa nga vhane vhalo,” meaning development should be led by local people.
“Beitbridge District must not be left behind on development like any other districts. We must ensure that we leave no one and no place behind,” she said.
She also reminded NGOs that their programmes should complement government development plans.
“NGOs come to feed into the plans of the Government, not to come up with separate plans. You are not here to compete with Government but to complement it,” Muleya said.
She asked councillors to educate communities on the importance of modernisation and industrialisation in rural areas as key pillars of Vision 2030.
Echoing the same sentiments, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland South, Albert Nguluvhe, said the engagement meeting was long overdue.
“The days of the manna mentality are over. We need to work together as a district and contribute to our own development because we are the ones who benefit,” he said.
Nguluvhe said he observed a lack of coordination between NGOs and government departments in the province.
“We have noticed that Government and NGOs have not been working together, and I hope after this meeting everything will be resolved,” he said.
Nguluvhe challenged civil servants to improve service delivery and focus on solving local development challenges.
“Let’s identify problems and profile solutions. Learn to differentiate but also appreciate each other as we contribute to our local development,” he said.
Meanwhile, Beitbridge West Member of Parliament Thusani Ndou also welcomed the initiative, saying improved coordination among stakeholders would accelerate development projects and ensure communities in Beitbridge benefit from national programmes under Vision 2030.
Beitbridge Rural District Council chairperson Oscar Chiromo also welcomed the engagement initiative, expressing hope that such meetings would be held more frequently.
“I hope we can have these types of meetings at least twice a year. As council, we will work hand in glove with our partners to improve access to basic services and infrastructure in the district,” he said.
He also urged NGOs to coordinate their activities with local leadership.
“NGOs must stop visiting wards without informing councillors,” he said, stressing the need for proper communication and coordination in development work.