Informal traders in Bulawayo have been encouraged to actively participate in the Public Finance Management (PFM) cycle of local authorities to enhance accountability and transparency, particularly in the health and education sectors.
This call to action emerged during a training session organised by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) for informal traders’ leaders, focused on the Local Accountability for Citizens Engagement (LACE) program.
Khethiwe Tshuma, a participant in the program, said it is important to attend public consultations as informal traders to understand how local councils allocate public funds.
“As informal traders and residents, we learned how public finances—whether at local authority or government level—should be managed. We were taught the importance of attending budget consultations, as that is where we begin to understand how the council spends its money,” Tshuma said.
She added that residents must voice their concerns and monitor the use of public funds to ensure that money is being handled responsibly.
Prosper Masibi, an informal traders’ representative, underscored the need for public access to budget and audit reports to ensure proper service delivery and minimise corruption.
“These documents are for public scrutiny. Councils or any duty bearers must make them available to the public so that citizens can monitor and hold those in power accountable. This will ensure better service delivery and reduced corruption,” Masibi stated.
Jabulani Chikomwe, a member of the VISET team, explained that the program aims to empower informal traders—who are key users of local services—by improving their ability to oversee how public funds are spent.
“The idea behind this initiative came from the recognition that informal traders are also primary users of local authority services such as healthcare and education. Unfortunately, these sectors are often underfunded by council budgets. Our goal is to increase oversight of these services by engaging informal traders and equipping them with Public Finance Management skills,” Chikomwe said.
He added that these skills would enable informal traders to play a more active role in overseeing how local resources are allocated, ensuring better service delivery.
“This training is the first session, where we are equipping leaders who will then pass on the knowledge to fellow informal traders. We are hopeful this will mark the beginning of stronger engagement by residents and informal traders on how local authorities utilize their budgets to enhance social services,” Chikomwe explained.
Edward Kapodoko added that the program seeks to place informal traders at the center of Public Finance Management within local authorities.
“Informal traders have often been excluded from national discussions on issues like PFM. We believe that PFM relates to public funds, and as informal traders, it is their right to understand how their contributions are being used. They must ensure accountability for the resources they contribute to local authorities and the government. We hope this will ultimately improve the quality of health and education systems,” Kapodoko said.
