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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council’s financial services department has requested for authority to invest RTGS$90 000 for the purchase of generators and solar equipment for its district revenue offices, as power cuts have compromised revenue collection and financial controls.
According to the latest council minutes, the city council’s financial director, Mr Kempton Ndimande, said the current load shedding being experienced in the country was affecting operations at the council’s revenue collection offices in the city.
“The financial director reported on July 17, 2019, that due to the current Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) load shedding, district revenue offices had not been spared.
“As a result the council has found itself receiving cash issued through manual receipts, which compromises the internal financial controls,” reads the council minutes.
Mr Ndimande said the current situation had also affected the cash collections as some residents were refusing manual receipts.
“As a result there is a need for the purchase of generators and solar equipment to provide back-up power during electricity load shedding. No funds had been provided for this situation in the 2019 Budget,” said Mr Ndimande.
The country has been experiencing electricity shortages which have seen some areas go for more than 15 hours a day without power.
The electricity challenges have affected various sectors of the economy, including the Bulawayo City Council, which is failing to pump water to its reservoirs.
Mr Ndimande also sought authority to virement funds to enable payment for computer equipment, as the original budget was not enough to purchase the equipment due to frequent price increases.
“During the placement of orders, it was discovered that the original budget is no longer adequate to purchase the requested computer equipment. Orders have been placed to purchase part of the equipment. Therefore there is a need to virement funds to cover the purchase of all the computer equipment as requested,” he said. — @pamelashumba1
Online Reporter