By Yamikani Yapuwa

Thyolo, March 20, Mana: Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Thyolo have raised concerns over delays, lack of transparency and poor community involvement in the implementation of 13 projects under Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD).

A recent monitoring exercise revealed issues such as delayed project completion, lack of financial disclosure, poor community involvement and unpaid workers.

Thyolo CSO Network Chairperson, Willard Mwambo, said this on Wednesday when presenting their findings to Thyolo District Council officials.

He said while some projects like the Chimaliro Gravity-fed Irrigation Scheme are functional, others including Thyolo Boma Primary School, Mikate Health Post and Khongono Irrigation Scheme are either incomplete or facing serious setbacks.

“We are calling for urgent action because development projects must serve the people, not become a burden due to poor management. Transparency and accountability are key to success,” said Mwambo.

The CSOs have, therefore, recommended better oversight, community involvement and proper project handovers to ensure that the projects are completed and benefit local communities.

“Local communities need to be involved in supervision and monitoring of the projects as well as promote inclusivity. Many project implementation committees lacked representation of people with disabilities and youth who are among key minority groups,” said Mwambo.

Thyolo District Council Director of Planning and Development, Thokozire Munthali, described the engagement as an important platform for both the Council and CSOs.

“The platform gave us a chance to clear out some issues raised from the findings. The report highlighted different areas where the Council was performing well and those that needed improvement,” she said.

Munthali appreciated the feedback saying it will help improve areas of concern and also allowed the Council to clarify misconceptions.

“Having clarified, we believe that CSOs will take the message back to the masses on how things are supposed to be done,” she said.