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Freedom Mupanedemo  Midlands Bureau

ALL local authorities must submit audited accounts, quarterly reports and monthly management accounts with only 43 out of the 92 local authorities up to date on these legal requirements, Local Government and Public Works Minister, July Moyo, has said.

Addressing local authorities executives, chairpersons, mayors and managers attending a local authorities budget approval workshop in Gweru yesterday, Minister Moyo said local authorities should avoid financial leakages through constant production of financial reports for auditing.

“It has been observed that there is a decline in the number of up-to-date audited accounts from 52 to 43 local authorities this year. The production of draft financial accounts, quarterly reports and monthly management accounts is a statutory requirement under the Public Finance Management Act, Urban Councils Act and Rural District Councils Act.

“Therefore with immediate effect, the production and submission of financial accounts for auditing shall be a key performance indicator in the performance contracts of the mayor, council chairperson and town clerk or chief executive,” said Minister Moyo.

He said the Second Republic has implemented people-centred development policies and local authorities should thus take a leading role in turning the country into a middle income economy in line with Vision 2030.

Minister Moyo said there were 350 000 villages countrywide which should have potable running water by 2030.

“His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, while addressing the United Nations General assembly in 2022, highlighted that Zimbabwe has 350 000 villages all of whom should have running potable water and other services that make them an upper middle class society in line with NDS1. That should be the guiding principle for all local authorities’ budgets,” he said.

Minister Moyo said all local authorities should use 10 percent of their devolution allocation to upgrade their systems and produce general valuation rolls in line with modern trends.

“Local authorities should also expedite the production of adequate draft by-laws and modernise those that are now outdated to facilitate the smooth running of council and enable revenue collection in 2023,” he said.

All the 92 local authorities are gathered in Gweru for the eight-day annual budget approval workshop.