THERE appears to be no end in sight to the madness engulfing Zimbabwe’s local authorities, where extravagance at the top has become routine, as if councils are awash with inexhaustible resources.
Local authorities now dominate headlines for all the wrong reasons, competing for the dubious honour of being the worst governed. Hardly a week passes without fresh revelations of shocking excess.
First, it was Harare City Council, where reports emerged that a former town clerk was pocketing a staggering US$27 000 per month, excluding a buffet of allowances and perks.
This was happening at a time when refuse collection had virtually collapsed and roads had craters amid fears this would fuel waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid.
That ostentatious spending came at a time when residents were being slapped with exhorbitant bills for services that simply did not exist.
Now, Chitungwiza Municipality has secured its seat in this ignominious club.
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The local authority recently splurged about US$150 000 on a top-of-the-range executive vehicle for mayor Rosaria Mangoma, triggering outrage among residents, ratepayers and workers who have endured months of hardship.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a mayor being provided with an official vehicle. Such benefits are often outlined in conditions of service. What is indefensible, however, is the timing, the scale and the moral blindness of the decision.
Chitungwiza Municipality is in a state of near-total collapse. Employees have gone for eight months without pay, surviving on promises and patience that is rapidly wearing thin. Morale is shattered. Productivity is nonexistent. Service delivery has ground to a halt.
Garbage lies uncollected for weeks, posing serious health risks. Roads are riddled with potholes that damage vehicles and endanger lives.
Water supplies are erratic, forcing residents to rely on unsafe sources. Burst sewage pipes spill raw effluent onto streets and yards, sometimes taking months to repair — if they are repaired at all.
Each time residents demand answers, council sings the same tired song: there is no money.
Despite these ills, the local authority has bucked the trend by splashing US$147 000 to bankroll luxury and comfort for an individual — the mayor.
Such action is akin to showing the middle finger to demotivated employees and frustrated residents, who have been crying for basic service delivery, which they religiously pay for.
What is more worrying is the role of central government in all this. Since the abolition of executive mayors in 2008, central government has been given carte blanche to direct affairs at local authorities.
Central government approves the appointment of key personnel and expenditure.
There is no way Chitungwiza would have acquired that vehicle without the approval of the Local Government and Public Works ministry.
This raises questions about oversight, accountability and whether the ministry is complicity in perpetuating a culture of excess at the expense of service delivery.
If central government is serious about reforming local governance, it cannot continue to rubber-stamp dubious expenditure while councils sink deeper into
dysfunction.
This is not an isolated incident. Chitungwiza Municipality has a long history of questionable decisions, poor financial management and weak governance. Time and again, scarce resources have been diverted from critical services towards non-essential expenditure, while residents are told there is no money for service delivery.
Local authorities exist to provide services to ratepayers who faithfully pay for them. They are not feeding troughs for political office bearers.
The profligacy must stop forthwith.