Harare “City fathers” present a 41billion 2022 budget proposal to fulfill 2019 promises.
2 min readStaff Repoter
Waste water infrastructure development projects, rehabilitation of Morton Jaffray Water Works, procurement of more machinery to capacitate the Amenities Division
as well as rehabilitation of Pomona
disposal site.
These words have occupied my mind to a point where i have created a melodious rhythm, I can now sing them in my sleep.
Three years of hearing that paragraph is not a joke.
We never move past that!
Unfortunately yesterday became one of those episodes but now the council officials have come up with a plan.
The drafted budget proposal for 2022 is mainly aimed at achieving goals set in 2019.
Well, they say better late than never!
While presenting the budget, Chairperson for Finance and Development Committee, Councillor Tichawona Mhetu said the 2021 budget’s performance was disappointing.
“The 2021 budget was relatively underperforming because of a plethora
of issues ranging from inefficient internal systems, poor planning particularly in project
management, Enterprise resource planning platform, which is not fully integrated, a
structure which is not responsive to program based budgeting and low revenue
collection efficiencies.”
On the revenue side, they managed to collect ZWL$8.788 billion
as of 31 October 2021 and are projecting to collect a further $2.610 billion by end
of December 2021.
Cllr Mhetu said Government’s chipping helped significantly to council remaining afloat throughout the year.
“The Capital expenditure incurred throughout the year was supported predominantly by the much-appreciated
intergovernmental fiscal transfer (devolution) from Government amounting to a
provision of ZWL1.095 billion.”
Just as they had planned with other funds in the last three years, Devolution funds
disbursed by the Government this year are being expended on wastewater infrastructure projects, Morton Jaffray Water Works and on capacitating the Amenities Division through procurement of ten refuse compactors, one dozer and one landfill compactor as well as rehabilitation of Pomona
disposal site.
Upgrading of Morton Jaffray Laboratory is only 20% complete, Cllr Mhetu said it will be complete by 31 December 2021, possibly?