Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube, Deputy Radar Editor
BULAWAYO City Council’s ageing vehicle fleet, procurement bottlenecks and delays in implementing key programmes are threatening service delivery despite the local authority posting strong financial results in the first quarter of 2026.
The city’s latest performance review reveals that obsolete vehicles, delayed maintenance approvals and over-reliance on a single spare parts supplier have reduced fleet availability and disrupted operations at a time when residents continue to raise concerns over refuse collection, road maintenance and emergency response times.
The Quarter One 2026 Performance Indicators Review paints the picture of a local authority that is financially stable on paper but increasingly constrained operationally.
Among the biggest concerns highlighted in the report is the deteriorating state of council’s vehicle fleet, much of which has become obsolete and increasingly expensive to maintain.
The report reveals that delays in approving framework agreements for repairs and maintenance disrupted servicing schedules and reduced fleet availability.
“Delayed approval of the framework agreement for repairs and maintenance resulted in disruptions to planned servicing schedules and reduced operational efficiency of the fleet,” the report noted.
The situation was worsened by payment delays to suppliers and dependence on a single spare parts supplier who struggled to cope with the volume of orders being placed by council.
“Over-reliance on a sole supplier for spare parts, who is currently overwhelmed by the volume of orders issued, resulted in delays in the supply of critical spares and negatively impacted maintenance turnaround times,” the report reads.
The operational challenges come at a time when residents have repeatedly raised concerns over service delivery issues ranging from refuse collection to road maintenance and emergency response times, all of which depend heavily on the availability of a functional vehicle fleet.
Council says it intends to address the problem by re-advertising framework agreements to attract more suppliers, accelerating payments for delivered goods and gradually disposing of obsolete vehicles while replacing them with new units.
The report also highlights slow progress in gender and social inclusion programmes, with council achieving only 58,5 percent of its target for awareness campaigns during the quarter.
Officials attributed the shortfall to incomplete documentation submitted by applicants and delays in receiving reports from relevant departments.
Meanwhile, policy and legislative reforms within the local authority also stalled during the first quarter, with no policy reviews and no statutory audits conducted despite targets having been set for the year.
Council said the review of policies remains demand-driven and dependent on requests from departments.
Despite these operational shortcomings, the city exceeded its financial sustainability target by a significant margin, achieving 107,4 percent against a target of 80 percent during the first three months of the year.
According to the report, the city currently enjoys a healthy liquidity position, with available assets sufficient to cover liabilities and expenditure tightly controlled through prioritisation of major projects.
“The city has a high liquidity ratio meaning its assets are enough to cover any liabilities. Spending is limited to major projects first,” reads the report.
Council also surpassed its employee satisfaction target, recording 70 percent against a planned 63 percent, a development attributed to improved labour relations and adherence to compensation obligations.
“Council has maintained relations with its workforce and current in terms compensation,” the re-port states.
Governance indicators also showed strong performance, with council recording full compliance with statutory meetings and policy obligations after achieving quorum for all scheduled meetings during the quarter.
The report attributes this to the timely circulation of agendas and weekly programmes, which improved attendance by councillors and officials.
The city also performed strongly in stakeholder engagement, conducting 12 engagement programmes against a target of four during the quarter.
The report says collaboration with partners and adherence to planned engagement schedules contributed to the overachievement.
Research and innovation activities also exceeded expectations, with council producing eight re-search outputs against a target of six, while monitoring and evaluation reports surpassed planned figures following the recruitment of additional personnel.
“This was facilitated by the availability of additional M&E staff which improved coordination and timely completion of reports,” the report states.
