Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
Beitbridge Municipality’s service delivery is under severe strain after the local authority collected less than 30 percent of its targeted revenue in the first half of 2026, acting Finance Director Mr Doubt Moyo revealed.
Presenting the half-year budget performance to stakeholders recently, Mr Moyo said the poor collection rate had crippled the council’s ability to deliver essential services such as water, roads, refuse collection and street lighting, at a time when demand from residents and businesses continues to rise.
At the beginning of the year, the Municipality set out to spend ZWG431 million on service delivery and other commitments.
In the presentation, he said the municipality had set itself an ambitious revenue target for the first six months of the year, but was only able to realise less than a third of that figure due to low payment compliance and resistance to tariff increases.
“The period under review reflects a collection efficiency of 68 percent and a budget collection rate of 27,94 percent. That is, we billed ZWG215 594 362,91 and were able to collect ZWG65 562 455,90. In terms of foreign currency, there was a total of US$ 833 723,87, largely for housing stands servicing, and another R5 771 253 to fund other council commitments and obligations,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the shortfall had forced the council to prioritise critical expenditure while deferring most capital projects meant to improve infrastructure in the border town.
As a result, several roads remain in a poor state, drainage systems have not been cleared ahead of the rainy season, and some community facilities earmarked for upgrading could not be attended to.
