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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Rural District Council has adopted a $2,3 million budget for next year with levies remaining the same.
Presenting the proposed budget statement for the year 2018 at a special full council meeting last week, Finance Committee chairperson, Councillor George Chipengo said projects that were lined up for the coming year comprised road maintenance, drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes, construction of school and clinic infrastructure, providing medicines for clinics and furniture for school and clinics, improving ECD play centres. He said $63 600 has been set aside for gender main-streaming activities.
‘‘The council has maintained levies, taxes, fees, licences and other charges. The total revenue anticipated collectively of all sources amount to $2,3 million. It is my hope that if all budgeted revenues are collected then council will be able to implement anticipated projects.
‘‘Our desire in 2018 is that we improve on resource mobilisation so that we deliver services effectively. Infrastructure development and social service provision are key to our operations in the coming year,’’ said Clr Chipengo.
Speaking on the performance of this year’s budget Clr Chipengo said council had failed to implement the majority of projected projects due to poor cash inflows.
He said by end September the local authority had managed to collect 31 percent of the yearly budget out of an expected 75 percent.
‘‘The council managed to collect $746 500 of the total budgeted revenue of $2 446 826. Council didn’t receive any unit tax from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement contributing to poor budget performance.
‘‘Council had anticipated that 19 percent of the total revenues in 2017 would come from Ministry of Lands. Council had also hoped that there would be some significant inflows from Campfire activities, sale of land, borrowings and takeover of Village Two in Colleen Bawn. This didn’t happen during the year which negatively affected revenue collection,’’ he said.
Clr Chipengo said as at 30 September, council owed $24 228 to creditors while debtors owed $1,9 million. He said some of the debtors have been taken to court. Some of the biggest council debtors are parastatals, companies, businesses, mines and farmers.
In an interview the local authority’s chief executive officer, Mr Ronnie Sibanda said they were targeting to carry out road maintenance works on two roads per ward.
“We have a number of projects set aside for the year 2018 but our main focus is road maintenance. The heavy rain that the country received at the beginning of the year destroyed a number of roads leaving a number of places inaccessible. In response we are planning to carry out full maintenance works on two roads per ward in all 24 wards. We will engage villagers and they will select the roads which they want to be repaired. These projects will be funded by council in addition to what we will get from Zinara. If funds permit we might end up increasing the number of roads,” he said.
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