Guvamatanga calls for local authorities to be fixed

Local authorities must be reformed to improve service delivery and reduce the growing fiscal burden on Government, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga has said.

Guvamatanga said councils were collecting revenue from residents while failing to provide basic services for which citizens were paying, forcing Government to intervene using already limited public resources.

"We really need to fix the local authorities so that they can perform their role and free the government from the burden of meeting a cost for which they are also collecting rent from the citizens," he said.

He also questioned the value being delivered by local authorities and other Government agencies, particularly how revenue collected through fees and charges was being used.

"We do share concerns on the various government agencies and to say, look, what value are they really providing to leadership? And all the fees and revenue they collect, how is it being utilised? Is it being utilised in the best interest of the economy?" Guvamatanga said.

He said the failure of councils to provide basic services was placing additional pressure on the fiscus, with Government increasingly having to finance functions that traditionally fell under local authorities.

Guvamatanga said councils were continuing to charge residents for services while Government was being forced to step in to cover some of the associated costs.

"There is still a revenue collection charge on your rent invoice, but you will find that for some of the local authorities, and I will not name them, the government now has to intervene to buy the water chemicals," he said.

"When they are failing to provide clean water to the citizens, the government has to intervene in their hospitals and clinics."

He said municipal hospitals and clinics had traditionally been funded by local authorities rather than central Government.

"The municipalities' hospitals and clinics were never funded by the government; they were funded by the municipalities. Refuse collection, again, was never funded by the government. Roads in the cities were never a responsibility of the government," Guvamatanga said.

Zimbabwe's local authorities have faced prolonged operational, financial and governance challenges, contributing to persistent service delivery problems and placing further pressure on already constrained public resources.

Guvamatanga also raised concerns over the ability of councils to collect revenue from residents, saying many lacked functional systems to effectively manage billing and collections.

"So, you will find that the local authorities, when you look at your statement, for those that are still sending statements because most of them cannot even collect their revenue. They do not have systems to collect their revenue," he said.

His comments highlight the need for stronger revenue collection systems, improved financial management and greater accountability within local authorities to ensure that funds collected from residents are translated into reliable public services.

The permanent secretary's remarks come amid continuing concerns over water shortages, refuse collection, deteriorating roads and other service delivery challenges facing councils across Zimbabwe.