Trymore Tagwirei
The government has ordered all 92 local authorities to suspend council workshops, restrict foreign travel, and tighten control over pool vehicles as part of efforts to curb unnecessary spending and enhance accountability.
In a directive to all mayors and council chairpersons, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe instructed councils to implement strict cost-cutting measures in line with the Treasury’s expenditure rationalisation programme.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, cognisant of its oversight responsibility on local authorities, has developed expenditure containment measures for local authorities, in conformity with Treasury’s broader expenditure rationalisation agenda,” reads part of the circular.
Under the new measures, all workshops have been suspended with immediate effect, except those directly linked to the review or formulation of strategic plans and budget processes and these must be conducted strictly within each local authority’s area of jurisdiction.
For foreign travel, only trips fully funded by the host or inviting institution will be permitted.
Officials approved for such travel are required to submit a detailed post-mission report to the Ministry within seven working days of returning.
The directive also calls for tight regulation of pool vehicles, warning against unauthorised or non-essential use.
Councils must now establish strong internal control systems to ensure compliance.
Garwe reminded local authorities that their core mandate is to provide essential services such as water supply, waste management and road maintenance.
He said future performance assessments would be guided by Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS).
“The central thrust of your mandate is the provision of core services to communities. To this end, all planning, budgeting, and implementation efforts must be aligned with the Minimum Service Delivery Standards, which shall serve as the benchmark for performance assessment going forward,” reads the letter.
The cost-containment directive forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate wasteful expenditure, strengthen accountability and redirect limited resources toward tangible service delivery improvements across the country’s municipalities.
