NOEL IYOMBWA writes
THERE is need to audit the Community Based Enterprises (CBE) operating in different wards to ensure they perform to expectations, says Lusaka’s Mandevu Mpulungu ward 23 Councilor Christopher Shakafuswa.
Speaking during a full council meeting recently, Mr Shakafuswa said it was the responsibility of ward councilors to ensure that CBEs in respective wards were working according to the expectations of the communities.
He said CBEs should be audited so that the council was familiar with how much CBEs make from garbage collection.
And Kapwepwe ward councilor in Matero constituency Patrick Salubusa advised his fellow councilors to take time and supervise CBEs.
But Lusaka City Council (LCC) chairperson for health George Daka said the council will not renew contracts for Community Based Enterprises that fail to deliver.
He also said that the local authority would not give contracts to CBEs that depended on hired trucks and other equipment to execute their duties.
“We will not renew contracts for CBE who can’t deliver to expectations and hire out trucks to give service to the people,” he said.
The problems associated with solid waste management were global and required an integrated approach to arrive at a possible long -term solution. Lusaka produced more waste than any other city in Zambia.
The role of community based enterprises were varied from overseeing socio-economic development programmes to providing technical and financial (micro-finance) assistance, as well as, providing services to the health, education, natural resources and of course sustainable agriculture within the rural environment.
In this regard, LCC has engaged CBEs to collect garbage in different communities to the main dumpsites.
This is because LCC has no capacity to collect all the garbage in the city especially in compounds.
However some CBEs engaged by LCC have failed to deliver as many did not have machinery but hire from others once there were given contracts.
