Most of Zimbabwe's local authorities failed to receive devolution funding in 2025, raising concerns over stalled infrastructure projects, weakened service delivery and planning uncertainty.

HARARE — Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe has imposed an immediate nationwide ban on workshops, seminars, conferences, foreign travel and look-and-learn visits by local authorities, saying councils must prioritise service delivery over non-essential expenditure. The directive, contained in a ministerial circular dated 27 May 2026, was tabled before local authorities through Chamber Secretaries on 28 May 2026.

BEITBRIDGE – Beitbridge Municipality says it is struggling to maintain normal service delivery as thousands of repatriates continue to pass through the Beitbridge Border Post each day, placing unprecedented pressure on refuse collection and sanitation services. Council officials revealed that the influx of returning Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals has significantly disrupted waste management operations, forcing refuse collection trucks to make multiple trips to the border d

HARARE – Zimbabwe's local authorities recorded a decline in overall performance during 2025, with the country's largest urban councils failing to significantly improve service delivery despite their critical role in driving economic growth, according to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works' latest performance evaluation. The Annual Performance Feedback Report for the 2025 Fiscal Year reveals that the average performance score for Zimbabwe's 92 local authorities f

HARARE — The Zimbabwean government has ordered local authorities across the country to immediately suspend workshops, conferences, foreign trips, and so-called “look-and-learn” visits, citing growing concerns that excessive spending on travel and meetings is undermining service delivery.