By CLARA KAWIMBE –
PUBLIC-PRIVATE partnership has always been seen as the best alternative for the Government to improve its service delivery in many sectors including the local authority.
The challenge of improving service delivery is so huge for local authorities in Zambia due to inadequate revenue to meet the expectations of the public.

• PARKING is a problem that affects all motorists.

Ndola City Council (NCC) has made a stride in trying to increase its revenue by partnering with City Parking Solution Servest Limited to manage its parking slots in Ndola’s Central Business District (CBD).
City Parking Solution Servest Company site manager Mutepa Puta says Zambia has potential to economically develop if it embraces strategic projects meant to revamp the wellbeing of the citizenry.
Mr Puta says many developed countries have invested in managing the CBDs in terms of on-street parking and it is important that Zambia should make a step forward to meet international standards in keeping sanity on its business streets.
“Public-private partnership is very important if this country has to develop and the local authorities should not lag behind in creating partnerships that are economically viable. Zambia should envy developed countries for their street management.
Everyone is aware that local authorities need a lot of resources to improve service delivery and ensure that the public is satisfied with its services.
This is why our partnership with Ndola City Council is not only about increasing revenue for the council but it is also about bringing sanity to its CBD,” Mr Puta said.
Parking is a problem that affects all motorists. Whether one is a regular motorist or visitor to Ndola and the most common problems include the shortage of on-street parking, proliferation of informal parking attendants, and security over parked cars.
With the coming of City Parking Solutions, it is anticipated that short term parking space will be much more readily available in central Ndola.
Mr Puta explained that City Parking Solution Company will ensure that security is provided for cars parked on its slots in business streets at a fee.
“So, we going to take up 1,094 parking slots in town centre that were being managed by the council and we will also employ 75 council parking marshals and put them on our pay row. We are going to have 150 employees all together and that include people from administration,” Mr Puta stated.
He added that satisfactory services for street parking can only be sustained if motorists are cooperative and understand the benefits of street management as well as its significance in development.
“Street parking management reduces petty thefts such as stealing of handbags, cell phones and laptops from vehicles which in turn, inconvenience people. So our company will train the parking marshals on how to provide security to  vehicles parked on our slots at a fee of K2 per 30 minutes.
As you know, development comes with a cost. Our project has commenced and we have finished painting the slots and we hope that motorists will cooperate. We have managed to sustain this type of service at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka and Polokwane in South Africa.
It is a pilot project and very soon we will begin providing such services in other towns in Zambia. Zambia is a middle income country, so we need to have economic scores according to our national status,” Mr Puta said.
He said for those wishing to park longer periods, public parking lots in Ndola will be available for longer-stay parking.
But some motorists spoken to in Ndola emphasised the need for sensitisation of the programme if it is to succeed as it is the first of its kind in the district.
Samuel Daka, a Ndola motorist said the project should benefit all the motorists by providing the much wanted security in the central business district.
Mr Daka said there was need to educate motorists on the need to support the pilot project as most motorists believe that those engaged to collect money from motorists pocket money for themselves a vice he said discourages people from paying.
“Sometimes you find that when you pay for an hour, you are given a receipt for the all day and you turn to wonder whether that money goes to the council or in their pockets,” he said.
Mr Daka added that some of the programmes that Zambia want to adopt are mostly for developed countries but that for a country like Zambia a lot of education is required before the programme is implemented.
Ndola City Council public relations manager Roy Kuseka said the parking partnership project will reduce minor accidents that occur on the busy streets due to poor parking and lack of proper management of slots.
Mr Kuseka said the council’s partnership with Parking Solution Company will bring proper management of street parking because the company is specialised in the provision of the service.
He is optimistic that motorists will be cooperative in paying the parking fees because the services will be satisfactory.
“Satisfying the public is not easy but the parking solution in the CBD will reduce minor accidents caused by improper parking. The parking marshals will undergo training and will begin to provide specialised services. The aim here is to satisfy our clients and encourage them to pay for the services,” he stated.
It is hoped that motorists in Ndola will support the coming of Parking Solutions in the Central Business District as it will not only provide a service to assist the motorists but the general citizenry as there will be sanity in the way vehicles are parked in the city centre. — ZANIS