By
Promise
Dube
Speaking
at
a
recent
meeting
that
brought
together
civil
society
organisations,
city
councillors,
and
other
stakeholders,
VISET’s
Programmes
Manager,
Jabulani
Chikomwe,
said
the
initiative
focused
on
improving
how
local
authorities
manage
public
funds,
particularly
in
the
health
sector.
“We
were
in
conversation
with
stakeholders
on
public
finance
management,
looking
specifically
at
how
local
authorities
are
handling
funds
in
the
health
sector,”
Chikomwe
told
attendees.
The
organisation
is
working
to
build
the
capacity
of
local
authorities
to
handle
not
only
health-specific
allocations
but
all
council
revenues
more
effectively.
A
key
part
of
the
initiative
is
direct
engagement
with
councillors
and
oversight
bodies
to
understand
the
practical
challenges
they
face.
“We
are
creating
spaces
for
councillors
and
other
stakeholders
to
share
the
difficulties
they
encounter
in
executing
their
oversight
role,”
Chikomwe
said.
“This
collaborative
approach
is
vital
to
identifying
and
addressing
these
challenges.”
Beyond
institutional
capacity
building,
VISET
is
also
empowering
local
communities,
particularly
informal
traders
and
residents,
to
engage
in
budget
processes
and
demand
accountability.
“This
is
a
teach-in
with
local
residents
and
informal
traders,
equipping
them
with
tools
and
knowledge
on
why
participating
in
budget
consultation
meetings
is
so
important,”
he
said.
According
to
VISET,
these
outreach
efforts
are
already
yielding
results.
Chikomwe
noted
a
slight
but
promising
increase
in
community
participation
in
budget
consultations,
with
some
residents
reporting
that
their
input
is
now
being
reflected
in
approved
council
budgets.
“Residents
have
told
us
that
the
issues
they
raised
are
now
appearing
in
the
finalised
budgets,”
he
said.
However,
Chikomwe
acknowledged
that
communication
remains
a
hurdle
between
councillors
and
residents,
particularly
those
working
in
the
informal
sector
who
often
lack
the
time
to
attend
formal
feedback
sessions.
“Most
residents
are
now
in
the
informal
sector
trying
to
earn
a
living,
and
they
do
not
have
time
for
formal
feedback
meetings
convened
by
councillors,”
he
explained.
To
bridge
this
gap,
VISET
is
exploring
the
use
of
digital
tools
and
other
forms
of
media
to
expand
the
reach
of
council
communications.
“We
are
in
discussions
to
see
how
we
can
use
modern-day
technology,
flyers,
and
work
with
media
houses
to
disseminate
information
to
various
community
groups,”
Chikomwe
said.