Government to scrutinise council budgets

GOVERNMENT is set to scrutinise local authorities’ budgets before approving them soon after the Christmas holiday to enable councils to start implementing the ”A Call to Action — No Compromise to Service Delivery” blueprint launched by President Mnangagwa last month.

Out of the 92 local authorities in the country, 70 managed to meet the deadline for submitting their budgets to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

According to the Public Finance Management Act (Chapter 22:19), council budgets must be submitted 30 days before the start of the financial year.

Addressing delegates during the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) thematic working group on devolution and decentralisation work in Bulawayo recently, chief director in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Ms Khonzani Ncube said budget approvals for local authorities will be on December 27.

“The Minister of Local Government and Public Works is expected to approve these (local authorities’ budgets) after Christmas on December 27,” she said.

Communications and advocacy director in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Mr Gabriel Masvora said the ministry has already deployed teams to all the 10 provinces across the country to scrutinise the budgets. Each of the teams focuses on local authorities’ budgets from the provinces where they have been deployed.

In Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South, there are 10 local authorities in each province comprising seven rural district councils and three urban councils and town boards.

“The teams that we have deployed comprise ministry officials and academia from tertiary institutions. After looking at the budgets, the teams will send them to the Minister of Local Government and Public Work for approval,” said Mr Masvora.

“The target is to ensure that all budgets are approved this year to allow local councils to start implementing their new budgets by the beginning of next year. This is also key to allow councils to start implementing the ‘A Call to Action — No compromise to Service Delivery’ blueprint launched by President Mnangagwa in November.”

Last month, President Mnangagwa launched the local authorities: First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities towards a 2030 Vision blueprint on service delivery which is expected to drive towards the attainment of Vision 20230.

Launching the blueprint, the President said while an upper middle-income economy is defined by the income per capita, the quality-of-service provision by local authorities should be in line with a standard upper middle-income economy.

The ”A Call to Action — No Compromise to Service Delivery: First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities towards a 2030 Vision” blueprint presents various areas that are of concern to Government and these include revenue collection and distribution, compliance with applicable laws, leasing and selling of land by local authorities in servitudes, leasing and selling of communal and agriculture land by local authorities as well as valuation of properties for rating purposes.

The blueprint also seeks to modernise and renew local authorities through a two-fold approach.

Starting next year, the President will be chairing a bi-annual review meeting to assess the performance of all local authorities in a move aimed at reversing the deteriorating service delivery in towns and cities.

President Mnangagwa also gave the local authorities until June 30 next year to undertake a valuation exercise of all properties within their jurisdiction and said operative plans must be in place by the same period next year. The 2024 budgets will not be approved for councils that fail to meet these requirements.

The valuation of land will enable the local authorities to have a balance sheet that reflects true value which will make it easier for them to raise money from financial institutions.

President Mnangagwa said local authorities can use devolution funds to pay for such valuations subject to approval by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. He said an Inspectorate Department will be established in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to monitor compliance with the law and established regulations on service delivery; compliance with standard operating procedures for service delivery; compliance with action plans developed to achieve service delivery standards and implementation of policy measures.

President Mnangagwa said the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should not approve any annual budget unless it demonstrates achievable and acceptable service delivery levels and is in line with the law.

He said as the people’s Government, they will continue to intervene to transform the unacceptable state of affairs in urban areas.