ZIMBABWE COUNCILS ARE FALLING APART WHILE PEOPLE SUFFER

Zimbabwe’s councils are collapsing in front of everyone and nothing is being done. The Auditor-General’s 2024 report showed that billions of dollars are being wasted or stolen while ordinary people live with no water, dirty streets, and unfinished clinics. The report said 1 042 problems were found in 92 councils in just one year. That is not a small number. It is proof that the whole system is broken. What makes it worse is that these same problems are found every year, but nothing changes.

The main reason is fear. Workers inside councils see the corruption first, but they stay quiet. They are afraid to lose their jobs if they speak out. Zimbabwe has no strong law to protect whistleblowers. Because of that, silence feels safer than truth. This silence allows corruption to go on year after year without being stopped.

The report also said that more than half of the councils failed to submit their accounts on time. Out of 92 local authorities, 52 did not give their statements by March 2024. Some have not produced accounts for three years. That means billions of dollars passed through councils without any independent check. People have no idea how the money was used. If Zimbabwe had strong whistleblower protection, insiders could have told the truth. Instead, silence keeps hiding the abuse.

The devolution programme was supposed to improve lives, but the report showed abuse everywhere. Ruwa Town Council got ZWL 1.2 billion for water projects, but the projects stopped, and people still line up at boreholes. Buhera Rural District Council got money to drill boreholes, but many were left unfinished, and villagers fetch water from rivers. Gokwe South paid contractors for road work that was never done, and the roads are still impassable. Chegutu Municipality bought a refuse truck, but the truck disappeared before it was used. These are not mistakes. These are planned failures.

Revenue collection was also a mess. Harare and Bulawayo failed to collect millions in unpaid bills. In Bindura, money collected was kept by staff for weeks instead of being banked. In Kadoma, people owed over ZWL 1.4 billion, but no plan was made to recover it. Councils keep saying they have no money, but the truth is that money is being lost inside the system.

The report also showed shocking abuse of assets. In Bulawayo, 11 vehicles worth millions were missing from the books. In Marondera, land was sold without valuation, and buyers included councillors themselves. In Zvishavane, title deeds for land could not be found. In rural councils, fuel and vehicles were used by staff for private trips. In Chegutu, the missing refuse truck is said to be “under investigation,” but no one has been arrested.

On the ground, people can see the collapse. In Chitungwiza, raw sewage runs through homes while sewer funds disappear. In Masvingo, garbage piles up while refuse projects remain unfinished. In Kwekwe, constant water cuts continue because money for chemicals was diverted. In Buhera, unfinished boreholes left villages drinking unsafe water. Every missing receipt and every fake project brings more suffering for ordinary people.

The Auditor-General keeps warning. In 2023, there were 998 issues. In 2024, the number rose to 1 042. Instead of solving the problems, councils are creating more. Nothing changes because no one is punished. Insiders stay quiet because there is no law to protect them.

Zimbabwe does not need more reports to prove corruption. The evidence is already there. What is missing is courage. A strong whistleblower law would protect truth-tellers and break the silence. Without that, corruption wins every day. The cost is paid by residents in dirty water, broken roads, and endless queues. The truth is clear. The numbers are clear. The silence is deadly. Zimbabwe must act now.