Bulawayo Mayor, David Coltart, has called for a review of the city’s bureaucratic processes following concerns from the business community that lengthy approval procedures and regulatory bottlenecks are discouraging investment.
Speaking during Wednesday’s full council meeting at the City Hall, Coltart said the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) would spend the next month assessing issues raised in a recent Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) report to determine whether reforms are needed.
“The strain that runs throughout the ZNCC report is that our process of applications runs too slowly and that is hindering investment in our city. Whether that is correct or not is another matter. That is why, over the course of the next month, we have to analyse that and see whether there is merit in what they are saying,” he said.
The ZNCC recently presented its ‘Ease of Doing Business in Bulawayo’ report to the local authority, highlighting several obstacles affecting the city’s investment climate.
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According to the report, more than 70 percent of businesses wait six months or longer to obtain business licences, while over 80 percent believe excessive regulation is negatively affecting investment. It also found that delays in processing applications and deteriorating infrastructure have resulted in some investors shifting projects to other cities.
Read: https://cite.org.zw/byo-businesses-call-for-faster-licensing-lower-compliance-costs/
Reflecting on his experience as a lawyer and former Cabinet minister, Coltart said bureaucratic inefficiencies generally stem from four broad areas that should be examined.
“… I am not speaking necessarily about our own council. I speak with the benefit of 43 years in the legal profession and as a former minister. It seems to me there are four things that generally cause inadequate bureaucratic procedures,” he said.
The first, he said, was outdated laws, policies and regulations, which should be reviewed regularly to make sure they remain relevant.
“Sometimes it is true that our regulations, our policies and even the Urban Councils Act may be outdated, and we need to analyse them carefully to make sure they keep pace with modern trends,” said Coltart.
While emphasising that the council must remain firmly grounded in the rule of law, he said legislation should also facilitate efficient service delivery.
“This is a council that should be founded on the rule of law. We have to respect the rule of law if we are going to gain respect domestically and internationally, but our laws must also be efficient,” he said.
Coltart also questioned whether the council was making adequate use of technology to improve its operations.
“I know there are councillors who are passionate about information technology and the application of artificial intelligence. Are we applying AI to improve our systems as a city council? This may be a useful exercise to ensure our bureaucratic processes are efficient and are not contributing to slow application processes,” he said.
The second factor, the mayor said, was inadequate knowledge among officials responsible for implementing regulations.
“The second reason why there are slow bureaucratic processes is ignorance and a lack of understanding by those applying the laws or processing applications. It may be that we need education or experts to assist our bureaucrats with these processes,” he said.
Coltart said fear of making incorrect decisions was another factor delaying service delivery.
“It seems to me that sometimes bureaucrats in our country are so fearful of making the wrong decision that they would rather make no decision at all and an application simply gets pushed aside. That is the safest thing to do,” the mayor noted.
He urged the council to foster a culture that empowers officials to make timely decisions in accordance with established procedures.
“We need to build a culture that enables bureaucrats to process applications quickly, not a culture of fear. We must say to our bureaucrats that if they follow the correct procedures, we will support them, even if they occasionally make the wrong decision,” Coltart said.
He identified corruption as the fourth major cause of bureaucratic delays, warning that some officials deliberately frustrate applicants in an attempt to solicit bribes.
“Very often slow bureaucratic processes are the result of corruption. Bureaucrats deliberately place obstacles in the way of applicants and make the process unnecessarily difficult so that it might induce a bribe,” he said.
Coltart reiterated the council maintained a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, saying the local authority must demonstrate integrity if it expects accountability from other institutions.
“As we know, this council has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption. Corruption is a cancer in our country that is stifling the investment needed to build factories and create jobs. But it is no good pointing fingers at the central government or anyone else unless we first get our own house in order,” he said.
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