Bulawayo Mayor, David Coltart, has reiterated that local government authorities do not have sufficient financial resources to repair and maintain roads. He made the remarks in response to Information Secretary Nick Mangwana who had argued that the maintenance of city roads falls under the purview of Local Authorities.
Mangwana said since 2000, there has been evidence of serious failure by these Authorities in various service delivery areas, including refuse collection, water treatment and supply, road maintenance, and street lighting. He added:
To alleviate the suffering urban dwellers, Govt started making interventions such as buying chemicals for water treatment, deploying the ERRP2 program for roads and EMA taking charge of refuse collection and the Geopomona Project. There are always celebrations when Council Election Results are announced. Every ratepayer should ask themselves what they are really celebrating; these urban gullies in the picture?
Coltart agreed with Mangwana’s statement that local authorities are responsible for maintaining roads. However, he pointed out that the funds that local authorities used to collect for this purpose are now being collected by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA). Unfortunately, most of the funds collected by ZINARA do not reach the local government authorities, resulting in insufficient resources for them to effectively carry out their duties and responsibilities. He said:
The responsibility is but in the past local authorities were able to raise money through car licence fees but that money now goes to Zinara and we only get a pittance back. Local authorities need money to repair and maintain roads but cant do so if little money is paid over.
His remarks echoed Hopewell Chin’ono’s sentiments. The journalist did not hold back urging Nick Mangwana not to “LIE to your followers and Zimbabweans in general.” He said:
You are getting away with these lies because the opposition has no dedicated shadow cabinet minister for Local Government, but we won’t let you lie on a public platform so we I will correct your lies!
LIE Number ONE 1. The Cities of Harare, Bulawayo and the rest of the country were responsible for road maintenance and collection of road levies and taxes, but in order to cripple them and steal public funds, the ZANUPF central Government changed the law using its majority in parliament and left cities without power to collect road taxes but responsibility to fix them. So all road levies, taxes, toll gate fees and the fuel levy which are supposed to fix the roads are collected by central government (read ZANUPF) not the cities.
Chin’ono raised concerns about the allocation of funds for road maintenance in Bulawayo and Harare. He stated that Bulawayo received only US$800,000 from the central government for roads, despite the central government collecting over US$24 million from Bulawayo motorists. Similarly, Harare collected around US$64 million from motorists, but the city council was given only US$2 million. ZINARA retained the rest, he argued.
Chin’ono highlighted that Bulawayo needs at least US$15 million to maintain its roads and fix issues like potholes. He expressed frustration that the central government is not providing adequate funding despite the funds being available. He said in addition to road motor taxes, other sources such as fuel levies, carbon tax, and toll gate fees are also not being properly accounted for. He added:
LIE Number TWO 2. The cities were responsible for buying their water chemicals, but you directed them to buy chemicals from only ONE company, Chemplex. That parastatal has old equipment which breaks down regularly. When the machines are not working, the cities are stuck. Secondly, Zimbabwean law says that it is the ZANUPF central government that is supposed to provide water sources, the money meant for these dams has been looted for decades.
Chin’ono stated that Lake Chivero, which is Harare’s main water source, was built by the colonial government in the 1950s. After gaining independence in 1980, plans were inherited to construct the Kunzvi Dam from the previous regime. Unfortunately, successive governments under ZANU-PF allegedly misappropriated the funds meant for the dam. In 1996, there was another opportunity to build the dam, but the money was once again misused, leading the French company responsible for construction to withdraw.
Chin’ono then mentioned that in 2022, ZINWA (Zimbabwe National Water Authority) awarded a US$132 million contract to construct a dam in Nkayi to a prominent ZANU-PF figure, Kuda Tagwirei, but the project is not complete to date.
Chin’ono added that although refuse collection is the responsibility of local government authorities, the procurement process is controlled by the central government. As an example, he mentioned that the City of Harare was forced to use trucks owned by a ZANU-PF Member of Parliament and Minister, the late Biggie Matiza. Chin’ono claimed that cities faced difficulties in obtaining foreign currency to purchase equipment, except during the Government of National Unity (GNU) period, while individuals like Matiza had access to foreign currency through the central bank.
Chin’ono further asserted that the Zimbabwean economy is controlled by ZANU-PF, not local authorities. He claimed that when cities applied for foreign currency, they were denied because it was allegedly being misappropriated by ZANU-PF political elites. He also alleged that ZANU-PF elites smuggle gold worth US$6 million daily to Dubai, leaving the money there.
Chin’ono criticized the ZANU-PF government for its alleged misinformation and mismanagement, particularly in relation to road maintenance and water supply operations. He accused Ignatius Chombo, a former Local Government Minister, of exacerbating corruption by making councils pay three times for a single shipment of chemicals during his tenure.