Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
THE Beitbridge Rural District Council (BBRDC) has started stakeholder consultations for its 2027 budget, with officials saying community participation will shape priorities and improve service delivery.
The consultations, set for October 14 to 16 at the council boardroom, were announced in Public Notice No. 25 of 2026 issued on Tuesday, and further consultations will be carried out across 15 wards up to the end of this month.
“Notice is hereby given that BBRDC will hold budget consultation meetings with stakeholders at the council boardroom as per schedule given below,” read the notice.
The process brings together diverse ratepayer groups whose input directly influences how council plans, funds and delivers services.
The council said it intends to consult different players clustered into private schools and businesses, and abstractors and transporters, mining companies, bankers, regulators, suppliers, Government departments, NGOs, commercial and A2 farmers, and safari operators.
Stakeholder participation is central to devolution and constitutional provisions for community involvement in local governance.
For 2026, BBRDC had a budget of ZWG275 584 937,60. Receipts as at September 30 stood at ZWG36 532 696,56 against expenditure of ZWG29 129 254,83, leaving a surplus of ZWG7 403 441,73.
During the year, the council implemented water, roads, climate-resilience and local economic development projects with Government agencies, ZINARA-funded programmes and humanitarian partners.
However, BBRDC chief executive officer Mrs Kiliboni Mbedzi said recently that service delivery was hampered by ageing equipment, including an old grader that frequently broke down, funding delays, weak revenue capacity and a vast rural service area covering 22 wards.
The local authority has since completed a data collection exercise across all wards to map roads, water, health and education facilities to address data gaps and improve targeting.
Council said feedback from stakeholders will help prioritise critical projects, enhance revenue collection, improve accountability and ensure the 2027 budget delivers tangible improvements in the strategic border district which anchors mining, agriculture, tourism and cross-border trade.
