LOCAL Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe has issued a stern ultimatum to all 92 local authorities, declaring the era of service delivery neglect and financial mismanagement over.
For years, residents, particularly in the capital, have endured a slow-motion catastrophe.
In Harare’s high-density suburbs like Budiriro, Glen View and Mbare, broken sewage pipes have turned streams into open sewers, with potholes so deep they are now dubbed drumholes.
Residents go for days without running water and are forced to fetch the precious liquid from contaminated boreholes while cholera outbreaks have become endemic.
Internal audits have revealed that some councils spend up to 80% of their revenue on bloated salaries, luxury vehicles and endless workshops, leaving less than 20% for service delivery.
Meanwhile, water treatment plants lie idle for lack of chemicals, refuse collection trucks gather dust at council yards, and streetlights remain broken for years.
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“We will no longer tolerate a situation where a resident in one town enjoys clean water, while a resident in a neighbouring district faces a cholera outbreak due to broken-down sewer systems,” Garwe said this during a Local Authorities 2025 Performance Evaluation Feedback Session held in the capital yesterday.
“The Budiriro disaster is a case in point and it is very regrettable.
“That was a case of high negligence of duty by the local authority. It must never be repeated.”
He said to bridge this gap, the ministry gazetted Statutory Instrument 170 of 2025, the Minimum Service Delivery Standards Indicators for Local Authorities Regulations.
The law outlines the non-negotiable baselines across essential sectors.
Under the Act, urban water coverage must reach 90% by next year, ensuring a minimum per capita daily delivery of 50 to 100 litres of clean water.
Roads must meet a minimum Visual Condition Index of 55%, with trafficable surfaces, functional drainage and standardised South African Transport and Communications Commission markings.
Councils must guarantee consistent refuse collection and functional public lighting across all residential spaces.
“These are no longer suggestions, but they are the legal baselines upon which your councils will survive or fail,” Garwe declared.
“The structural decay in service delivery is directly tied to financial greed and misplaced priorities within your institutions.
“Far too many local authorities are spending the bulk of their collected rates on exorbitant salaries, endless workshops and luxurious administrative perks while water treatment plants collapse, sewer systems fail and roads develop from potholes to drumholes. That must come to an end.”
In terms of Statutory Instrument 69 of 2026, the ministry will “relentlessly, ruthlessly and brutally penalise non-compliant and non-performing officials”.
Sanctions will match the gravity of the failure and will include suspension and dismissal of town clerks, chief executive officers or mayors.
“We will also ruthlessly deal with councillors abusing State funds.
“We are not going to compromise on disciplinary issues on councillors that are abusing State funds,” Garwe warned.
The ministry will accelerate the re-establishment of the Local Government Institute to address the skills development gap that currently exists.
In a separate warning, Garwe took aim at the illegal sale of State and council land, a practice that has created sprawling informal settlements across Harare.
“And everybody knows where he came or she came from.
“We have no appetite to regularise settlements that are born out of criminal activities.
“Informal settlements born out of criminal transactions — the houses being built there will be demolished without an apology to anybody.”