The Employment Council for Harare Municipal Undertaking profited from an exuberant discussion with the Chairperson, Mr V. A Chikanda on Business Protocol, Diplomacy and Communication Etiquette at the Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre on 5 February 2017.

Mr Chikanda underscored the significance of Local Authorities in the development of the country. He challenged the Harare City Councilors to improve on service delivery through implementing sound policies that are not divorced from the reality on the ground and rehabilitate the Sunshine City’s roads and other critical infrastructure as they are responsible for managing and delivering a range of quality services to their communities, such as public health and recreational facilities, local road maintenance, and public libraries.

Local Government Authorities should engage with their communities and encourage community participation in decision-making, while considering the needs of people currently living in communities and those who will live there in the future –  for development without inclusion of the grassroots is not durable.

The Chairperson finally challenged the Local Authorities to boost public awareness for change processes and contribute to advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . Their proximity to the citizens allows municipalities to also raise awareness for the relationship between local action and global occurrences.