Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) was in Arcturus Ward 14 Goromonzi for the Accountability Lab community survey feedback meeting. The meeting sought to unpack findings from the survey that was undertaken within the ward to hear from residents and informal traders what their developmental aspirations. Amongst invited guests were officials from Goromonzi Rural District Council (GRDC), Ministries of Youth and Women and traditional leadership representatives.
Edward Kapodogo of the Programmes Department said the platform accorded through the Survey Findings Presentation is one that should see residents in their capacity as rights holders to get answers from solution holders in their varying official capacities. 116 were interviewed with 61 percent being women and 39 percent being males, with a combined total of 69 percent being youths. 18 percent of respondents said they have had wares confiscated before, with reason for confiscation being operating from undesignated spaces and 16 percent saying they had no licenses. 83 percent said they managed to get confiscated goods back, with 65 percent saying they had to pay bribes to get them back. Many respondents decried the practice of confiscations, with 67 percent saying this led to loss of incomes as their goods will have been damaged. 62 percent of respondents said they had been vaccinated with 38 percent saying they were yet to be vaccinated. Those yet to get vaccinated said the reasons were that they did not trust the vaccines availed by government.
The Goromonzi Rural District Council (GRDC) official spoke on the bad state of roads as spoken by residents said that road administration was under different authorities with some being under Ministry of Transport, others being under the GRDC, and that the challenge was that their machinery had been broken down by that owing to devolution funds and improved revenues by the GRDC, they were now in a position to attend to these roads.
Mr Kachavi of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development, Small and Medium Enterprise Development said that the survey would greatly assist them to attend to the specific needs of women in the Ward and they will be having a look at this with a mind to come up with specific interventions tailor made for them.
Mr. Chiwanza of Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture said that development partners must work hand in hand with communities and not impose solutions upon communities in order to get but in and have meaningful impact. He also spoke on the need for informal traders to be organised so that they speak with one voice in lobbying for development initiatives. He also disclosed that in Ministries like Mines and Lands, there are quotas for the youth and women and they were priority segments of society as a means to empower them.
During the plenary session, a resident popularly known as Obama spoke on the issue of poor roads and health facilities that hitherto were run and maintained by Arcturus Mine, but since there was a change of ownership, there has been a deterioration of services and he sought assistance of VISET and the representative arms of government present to pursue the issue.
A representative for the village head Mr. Archibald Mutumburi thanked VISET for its presence within the community saying many agencies have forgotten their area and that they were hopeful that their concerns would be attended to.
Source: VISET