Council bleeding funds over unrepaid travel allowances

Chinhoyi Municipality could be losing thousands of dollars amid revelations that councillors are benefiting from advance subsistence allowances for official trips they never undertook - and are not repaying the funds as required.

According to recent finance committee minutes, at least two councillors were advanced money for sanctioned trips but failed to attend and have yet to fully reimburse the municipality.

Ward 4 Councillor Ignatius Zvigadza (Zanu-PF) received US$1 000 in November 2024 for a trip to Saudi Arabia to attend the International Conference on Learning Cities. However, the councillor never made the trip and the funds remain unpaid to date.

"Yes, I was given US$1 000 but I failed to travel," Zvigadza confirmed. "I wrote a letter to the town clerk and copied the finance director requesting deductions from my monthly allowances, but I'm surprised the money has not been deducted yet."

Chinhoyi finance director Zephaniah Chirarwe indicated that it would take 13 months to recover the amount via staggered deductions from Zvigadza's allowances - a direct violation of the Accounting Procedure Manual, which stipulates a 30-day repayment window for unutilised advances.

In another case, Ward 8 Councillor and Audit Committee Chairperson David Malunga was advanced US$333.37 and ZiG$9 154.04 for an audit workshop in Gweru, which he also failed to attend. Malunga insists he has repaid the money in full, although council minutes suggest otherwise.

Council's acting chamber secretary Hilda Kabangure noted that policy guidelines regarding the reimbursement of allowances were clearly not followed in both cases.

The revelations have sparked outrage among residents, with the Combined Chinhoyi Residents Trust (CCRT) accusing council of negligence and selective accountability.

"We need answers on why council took this long to deliberate on the issue," said CCRT chairperson Tendayi Musonza. "Why the silence? Is it because the audit chairperson is involved? It undermines public confidence in the audit process."

Musonza called for immediate reimbursement of the misused funds and urged council to strengthen its internal control systems to prevent further abuse of public resources.

The issue has renewed calls for transparency in municipal financial management and accountability for public office bearers. Residents are now demanding regular updates on councillor travel allowances and stricter enforcement of financial policy regulations.