Remember Deketeke
Municipal Correspondent
HARARE City Council has set aside US$16,1 million for disaster preparedness, emergency response and recovery in its proposed US$818,3 million 2027 budget, following a Government directive compelling local authorities to dedicate at least two percent of their budgets to disaster risk management.
The allocation makes Harare one of the first local authorities to demonstrate how the new mandatory disaster-financing requirement will be incorporated into council budgets, with Government warning that budgets that fail to meet the threshold will not be approved.
The directive was issued last week by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works as part of measures to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
In a circular to town clerks, town secretaries and chief executive officers, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, said councils were required to incorporate the two-percent provision into their annual budget proposals.
“The Ministry will not approve annual budgets that do not provide for the minimum two per cent (2 percent) allocation towards Disaster Risk Management, in accordance with this directive,” he said.
Presenting Harare’s proposed 2027 budget, Finance committee chairperson Cllr Jubilation Shoko, said the city had provided US$16,1 million as a general allocation for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
“Your Worship, in accordance with the Ministry’s directive requiring at least 2 percent of the annual budget to be allocated to disaster preparedness, response and recovery, the City has provided US$16,1 million as a general provision against the proposed budget envelope of US$818,3 million,” he said.
The allocation will finance a range of activities, including contingency planning, emergency supplies, transport and logistics, search and rescue operations, temporary shelter, restoration of essential infrastructure and community preparedness.
Council said the provision would complement disaster preparedness measures already incorporated into its routine operations, including road maintenance, drain clearing and the provision of equipment for the emergency services division.
“The allocation will be monitored across the relevant programmes, with clear identification of qualifying expenditure,” said Cllr Shoko.
He said council departments would also ensure that the necessary plans, equipment and implementation arrangements were in place to support an effective response to emergencies.
The mandatory allocation is part of Government’s broader efforts to strengthen disaster risk management at local authority level by ensuring councils have dedicated financial resources to protect communities, respond to emergencies and rehabilitate infrastructure damaged by disasters.
