City budget finally approved

Nokuthula Dube

THE Harare City Council’s 2024 budget was finally approved last week on condition that the local authority submits a service delivery work plan and establishes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system before the end of the month.

The council submitted a new financial plan to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works last month after its initial one, tendered at the beginning of the year, was turned down.

In rejecting Harare’s initial submission, the Government cited the city’s failure to comply with guidelines meant to enhance service delivery outlined by President Mnangagwa in his policy blueprint “Call to Action — No Compromise to Service Delivery” last year.

In a letter dated July 1 to Harare town clerk Engineer Josiah Chisango, Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera directed the council to submit monthly reports outlining progress the local authority would have made in addressing the outstanding issues.

“The Minister of Local Government and Public Works has in terms of Section 47 (1) of the Public Finance Management Act approved the 2024 budget estimates for City of Harare with the following conditions:

“Council to submit a work plan with detailed timelines to address the issues raised in your budget rejection letter by July 15, 2024. Council to submit monthly reports updating the ministry on progress attained towards addressing outstanding issues, notwithstanding them being matters before the Commission of Inquiry.

“Be advised that stringent monitoring of these and other matters will be done on a quarterly basis during the course of the year.”

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said approval of the budget was long overdue.

“The budget approval is six months late and it will take a very long time for the City of Harare to recover from this delay,” he said.

“As Harare Residents Trust, we believe that the City of Harare has learnt how they should do their budget, in line with the guidelines of the Government.”