A Bulawayo city councillor has criticised delays in the implementation of a real-time service delivery dashboard, accusing officials responsible for the project of hindering efforts to transform the municipality into a data-driven and technology-enabled city.
Ward 2 Councillor Adrian Rendani Moyo said he was disappointed that the city’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department had failed to roll out the system despite what he described as extensive consultations involving councillors and city officials.
Speaking during a council meeting, Moyo said discussions involving Councillor Mahlangu and other stakeholders had highlighted the importance of the dashboard, which is intended to provide real-time information on service delivery across the city.
“I am disappointed because after those interactions, which we took very seriously, the section still does not display the dashboard. The excuses and reasons are known by them alone,” he said.
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Moyo argued that the city’s ambition to become a smart and transformative municipality depended on the collection and analysis of real-time data.
He said the proposed dashboard would provide decision-makers with up-to-date information on service delivery challenges, enabling the local authority to identify problem areas quickly and respond more effectively.
“A live system gives us all the information we need to identify hotspots in terms of service delivery. We can clearly see the red flags and the green flags,” he said.
The councillor warned that resistance to the project could undermine efforts to modernise council operations.
“If we are moving towards being a smart and transformative city, it means anyone who does the opposite is an enemy of progress,” Moyo said.
He called on the council’s finance committee to investigate the reasons behind the delay and ensure the project is implemented.
“The finance committee must look into that matter and establish the reasons why that dashboard has not been implemented,” he said.
Moyo described the dashboard as a potentially transformative tool that could improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in municipal service delivery.
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