TONDERAI SAHARO
Masvingo Mayor Cllr Alec Tabe last week hit the ground running and embarked on a fact finding mission to assess challenges being faced by council run institutions.
Tabe was accompanied by councilors and departmental heads when he toured six council run schools and three clinics in the ancient city.
During the tour Mayor Tabe interacted with staff members of these institutions in a no holds barred interactive discussion.
He told The Midweek Watch that the tours were part of his initiative for councilors to have an appreciation of how council-run institutions operate on a first hand basis.
Adding that at times reports they get from council management might not portray the real situation on the ground.
“We managed to move around the city targeting all the council-run institutions just to appreciate their work and also to get first hand information on challenges that they are facing.
“I believe as a council we are doing a sterling job in trying to bring services to the people, especially under the economic turmoil the country is in.
“However, we still have a long way to go especially looking at our aim of being a world class metropolitan city by 2030,” he said.
Mayor Tabe said the main challenge that all council schools face is the huge enrolment which is straining the already existing infrastructure.
He said schools have been forced to introduce hot seating arrangements, where some pupils learn in the morning while others attend schooling in the afternoon as a measure to accommodate all pupils.
“Something that we need to deliberate extensively as council is the issue of classroom blocks, most of our schools are in urgent need of additional classroom blocks.
“It was disheartening to see some pupils learning under trees, yet we are in an urban setup,” he said.
Mayor Tabe added that the shortage of essential drugs in council clinics was a major challenge, but said the situation is not peculiar to Masvingo alone.
He, however added that councilors were impressed by the speed at which the new Runyararo West Clinic maternity ward is progressing.
Upon completion the new maternity ward will cater for expecting mothers particularly from populous residential areas of Victoria Range, and Runyararo West.
The ward will become the second council run maternity ward after Mazorodze clinic in Mucheke A, which was already overwhelmed
“The issue of shortage of drugs in our clinics is a national problem and I believe, council must engage NatPharm on a regular basis such that we are supplied with adequate stocks of essential drugs for our clinics,” he said.
