Councillors in Gwanda Rural District Council have raised concern over the uneven distribution of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) projects, accusing authorities of concentrating development initiatives in a few wards while others are left behind.
The concerns emerged during a recent full council meeting, particularly during deliberations on Social Services Committee recommendations, where several councillors said most NGOs were operating in Wards 7 and 8 at the expense of other areas.
In one recommendation, the committee reported that the council had received a letter from the Southern Western Region Gender Network seeking permission to operate in the district.
The organisation proposed a two-and-a-half-year project, running from January 2025 to June 2027, titled “Strengthening the role of CSOs and CBOs in promoting justice and good governance in marginalized communities.”
The project is set to be implemented in Wards 7, 8 and 11.
In another recommendation, the committee said the council had also received a request from Soul’s Comfort for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering the period January 2026 to December 2028.
The organisation intends to operate in Wards 7 and 8.
These recommendations did not sit well with some councillors, who argued that most development projects were directed to the same wards.
“All the NGOs are going to one place, all of them Ward 7 and 8,” said one councillor.
Another councillor expressed fear that the trend would continue if not urgently addressed.
“Our fear is that all NGOs will work in one ward while other wards won’t benefit, so we are asking if there are other NGOs working in other wards,” said the councillor.
The councillor said the issue had been raised previously, with expectations that 2026 would bring a more balanced allocation of development partners.
“Maybe they (NGOs) are continuing what they were doing last year in terms of MOUs, but we all want the assistance. There is no ward that doesn’t want assistance,” he said.
Some councillors also alleged certain organisations listed as operating in their wards were not visible on the ground.
“Some of us are being given NGOs that do not exist on the ground, they only exist on paper. Please, let us all share this cake as the Gwanda district,” he said.
However, Gwanda Rural District Council Vice Chairperson, Ward 10 Councillor Mandlenkosi Moyo, said the allocation process was guided by technical recommendations.
“We go to a meeting with technocrats. When an NGO says they have a certain project, we ask the technocrats where such a program fits in Gwanda District. The technocrats then propose the wards; it then comes through the Social Services Committee as a proposal,” he said.
Moyo said it is difficult for councillors to overturn technical recommendations.
“It becomes hard for a committee to change what the technocrats would have said, so the blame is not on the Social Services Committee, it comes to them from the inception meeting,” he said.
Social Services Committee Chairperson, Councillor Moyo, said the committee had repeatedly challenged the imbalance but with little success.
“We have often asked about this until reaching points of fighting with people. As a committee, we are now tired of it. This is not a recommendation from the Social Services; it is something that we were given.
“We have fought about this issue. As a committee, we are not happy about what the technocrats are doing. We end up letting things be because we don’t want to be arguing with them, it’s not what we came here for,” he said.
Gwanda Assistant District Development Coordinator, Awakhiwe Moyo, however, said technocrats only provide guidance and do not impose decisions on councillors.
“Technocrats or government departments are there to assist and give technical advice. Recommendations coming from the inception meeting are not forced on the committee to take them as they are,” he said.
Moyo claimed relevant departments are consulted depending on the nature of the project.
“I will give an example, if we are talking about a dam, we will call relevant departments such as RIDA, engineers, ZINWA, so that they advise us where we need the dam in Gwanda District. If they say they think the dam is necessary in Ward 4, we put a recommendation to the Social Services.
“So it’s up to the Social Services Committee. They are not forced by the technocrats to take Ward 4, they have the right to remove it and put it in Ward 7. All the power lies with the Social Services Committee.
“We are only there as technocrats to give guidance, so Social Services has the responsibility to choose because what they are discussing are recommendations from the inception,” said Moyo.
Meanwhile, another councillor suggested that the imbalance could be addressed through better planning and data management.
“The technocrats should have a database showing challenges in each ward, that will make other wards also benefit,” he said.
Council Chairperson, Mphathiswa Ncube, also weighed in, alleging internal conflicts among technocrats and possible bias in project allocation.
“The technocrats called me into one of their meetings. They are fighting on their own. I ended up reprimanding them, what more of councillors if the technocrats are pulling each other? The people we expect to give direction, some of them are interested parties; they have their own areas that they want to push projects to. They have since stopped inviting me,” said the council chairperson.
He called for equitable development across all wards.
“Let’s give Social Services their power. We want all wards to benefit. How can projects keep coming to Ward 18 hitting dry holes? Why not come up with plans, build sand dams to address the water issue in that area?” Ncube said.