Government to regularise HLB area of jurisdiction

GOVERNMENT is working on regularising the Hwange Local Board’s (HLB) area of jurisdiction following the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) 2008 delimitation exercise, which created 10 new wards.

However, these wards, controlled by entities like Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL), Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), have not generated any revenue for the local authority.

Out of the 14 councillors in HLB, 10 represent the new wards, while four represent women under proportional representation. HCCL has eight wards, while ZPC and NRZ have one ward each.

Acting HLB town secretary, Mr Paulos Mabhureni said this arrangement has created financial strain on HLB, which is losing around US$1,5 million monthly in potential revenue.

“HLB could be the only local authority in the country that has this extra unusual burden of shouldering the allowances and welfare of about two-thirds of its councillors who, however, represent wards that do not fall under its jurisdiction,” he said.

“The local authority is responsible for paying allowances to councillors from wards it does not manage while businesses in those wards do not contribute to HLB’s revenue through rates and fees.”

Mr Mabhureni said the regularisation of these areas would relieve HLB of its current administrative burden and pave the way for improved governance and service delivery.

“HLB is in a situation whereby it has to pay allowances and provide all other benefits to 14 additional councillors from wards it does not administer and derive revenue from. This has a significant impact on the council’s expenditure,” said Mr Mabhureni.

He said HCCL, ZPC and NRZ should focus on their core businesses, leaving service provisions like water, refuse collection and road maintenance to HLB.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works’ communications and advocacy director, Mr Gabriel Masvora, confirmed that the matter is under review.

“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is in the process of engaging stakeholders on the issue. The matter in Hwange is a constitutional matter directly under the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which created electoral boundaries to allow people residing in those areas to exercise their electoral rights by choosing their representatives during elections,” he said.

Mr Masvora stated that the solution involves incorporating the 10 wards into HLB’s jurisdiction to facilitate proper service delivery and allow the local authority to benefit financially.

“We can confirm that HLB has 20 councillors and these include 15 elected councillors and five proportional representatives under women’s quota. Of the 20 councillors, 14 are under concession areas and six fall under the council’s area of jurisdiction,” he said.

HLB has faced ongoing challenges in service delivery and had its 2024 budget, together with that of the City of Harare and Gokwe Town Council, rejected by the ministry due to governance issues.

The local authority has been lobbying for the incorporation of concession areas administered by HCCL, ZPC and NRZ into its jurisdiction since the early 1990s. Two commissions, in 2015 and 2022, supported the incorporation, but the final decision is pending approval from the Attorney General’s office.

HLB was established in 1974 through a statute under the Urban Councils Act, Chapter (29:15) and administers Empumalanga Township as well as Chibondo and Baobab medium and low-density suburbs respectively. It also administers the industrial area of Hwange urban, as well as areas under the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and part of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

The ad-hoc administration and planning of Hwange Urban has over the years pushed the local authority to push for the incorporation of HCCL, NRZ and ZPC-Ingagula concession areas into HLB as well as the application of town status.