Residents and community representatives have bemoaned the delay in the release of the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) and have called for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the money.
Established in 2010, the CDF aims to foster grassroots development by providing financial resources directly to Members of Parliament (MPs) for development projects in their constituencies.
The fund is intended to address community needs such as improving infrastructure and promoting local development. The CDF also seeks to empower local communities by involving them in the planning and implementation of these projects.
Each constituency receives an equivalent of $50,000 under the CDF. However, Marondera MP Caston Matewu revealed on Tuesday that constituencies have not received CDF disbursements for almost two years.
To support the functions of Parliament, the 2024 National Budget allocated Z$475.1 billion for day-to-day operations, vehicles, CDF, and other related equipment for both Parliament staff and MPs.
Emakhandeni-Luveve Constituency Member of Parliament Descent Bajila bemoaned the lack of disbursement of the fund.
“There was no CDF allocation for 2023, and now we are about to finish the second quarter of 2024, still with no CDF allocation despite the 2023 and 2024 national budgets approving CDF,” he said.
He said the delay is negatively affecting development. “We should have seen a lot of development in the constituencies with CDF in 2023, and we should have seen something by 2024, but there is no allocation. This affects areas like Bulawayo, where we have water scarcity. These issues should have been resolved by CDF,” said Bajila.
In an interview with CITE, Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) coordinator Khumbulani Maphosa argued that MPs should not be responsible for implementing projects.
“I think the issue with CDF is that while it is a good concept, it was ill-conceived and done outside the mandate and parameters of certain people. Zimbabwe has a problem of dualization; we always dualize structures and systems, which makes things not work. It is not the role of an MP to affect development projects in the community; it is the role of the local authorities. MPs should not be given money to implement projects. If they were to be given money, it should be to consult people and give feedback,” he said.
Maphosa suggested that the CDF should be allocated to councillors within the constituency instead of MPs.
“It should be given to councillors within a constituency because they have a service delivery mandate. If not to councillors, it should go to Ward Development Committees. In our rural and urban areas, we have ward development committees that should receive CDF, not the MP. The MPs’ role should be to oversee the CDF,” he said.
He added that there is a need to devolve power rather than centralise it. “CDF is another centralisation idea that should not be there. Whether it has been disbursed or not is neither here nor there. The issue is whether it is right and if it follows the spirit of the Zimbabwe Constitution, which it does not. It is just a politicking tool that should not be there,” he said.
Political analyst Effie Ncube acknowledged corruption in some areas but noted that the CDF has brought significant development in other areas.
“It must come back with bigger budgets than the meagre sums of before, but now with greater checks and balances against irregularities to ensure accountability,” he said.
Ncube added, “Moreover, the CDF is consistent with the principles of devolution of power and giving local communities control over their development agenda.” He said CDF allows local communities to influence their programs instead of depending on distant sources.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) Programs Manager, Claude Phuti, said while CDF is a good initiative, there is a need for community involvement. “It’s unfortunate that the CDF hasn’t been disbursed for a while. Residents are worried about how these funds are used. It’s a good development, but we need more community ownership of some of these projects,” he said.
Phuti stressed the importance of transparency and accountability. “We need community ownership and proper consultations. We need proper consultations in terms of CDF, whereby people can inform what they want to do,” he said.
Some residents feel there is insufficient information on how CDF funds are used. “As residents, we feel that there is not enough evidence on how these funds are used. We have never seen any receipts showing how the money was spent,” said Paul Ngwenya from Pelandaba-Tshabalala constituency.
His sentiments were echoed by another resident who said there were no adequate consultations concerning the CDF.
