Chronicle Editor
Sukoluhle Ndlovu, Midlands Correspondent
ZVISHAVANE Town Council is set to formulate a supplementary budget to align the town’s 2019 budget with the current monetary environment, an official has said.
The local authority’s initial budget which was approved by the Government had been pegged at $8,3 million. The mining town’s chairperson, Clr Khulekani Ndlovu said plans are underway and once drafted, the local authority will conduct stakeholder input consultative processes.
“As Zvishavane town council, we are considering coming up with a supplementary budget as the current budget has been eroded by inflation.
Prices of goods have been constantly going up which has resulted in our initial budget being overtaken by events. For us to be able to continue providing services to the residents, we need to come up with a supplementary budget to complement the current one,” he said.
“Once we have come up with the draft of the supplementary budget, we will then consult various stakeholders and residents so that we can hear their views concerning the issue. After that the budget will be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government for approval,” he said.
He said the local authority is failing to purchase various goods necessary for service delivery.
“For now, we are failing to procure simple items like fuel so that we able to collect garbage and as such we haven’t collected refuse for a long time. We are also failing to secure water treatment chemicals which is putting residents’ lives at risk,” he said.
Recently, the Government through the Local Government Ministry approved for local authorities to do supplementary budgets, after their initial annual budgets lost value because of monetary policy changes this year.
Gweru City Council recently warned its residents to prepare for a supplementary budget next month, as the current plan approved by Government in February has been eroded by currency distortions and inflation.
Local authorities including Bulawayo and Kwekwe have also mulled supplementary budgets.
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