86 Zimbabwe Councils Receive No Devolution Funds in 2025
- Southerton Business Times
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Southerton Business Times | Harare
Eighty-six of Zimbabwe's 92 local authorities did not receive any disbursements from the constitutionally mandated Devolution Fund during 2025, raising concerns over stalled development projects, weakened service delivery and growing uncertainty in local government planning. The latest revelations have prompted local government leaders to urge Treasury to expedite the release of devolution funds, arguing that councils are being forced to suspend key infrastructure projects despite budgeting for the allocations.
According to local government officials, only six councils received a portion of their approved devolution allocations during 2025, with disbursements ranging between 5% and 8% of the amounts budgeted. The councils that reportedly received partial funding are:
Harare City Council
Chitungwiza Municipality
Gokwe North Rural District Council
Masvingo Rural District Council
Chivi Rural District Council
The remaining 86 local authorities reportedly received no devolution funding during the financial year.
Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ) Secretary-General Dr Isaac Matsilele said declining devolution disbursements since 2019 have disrupted development planning, particularly for rural councils with limited revenue streams.
"The funds received by councils have been decreasing since 2019, and last year most councils didn't get anything. Projects have stalled, and this is affecting planning processes for councils," Matsilele said.
He said the situation has been worsened by reduced local revenue following changes to licensing fees and cattle tax collections.
"Councils have a right to receive devolution funds. They plan their budgets expecting the money, and failure to disburse the funds creates planning fatigue and conflicts. The urban-rural gap remains wide because rural district councils rely heavily on these funds for development projects."
Matsilele added that the ARDCZ is lobbying the Government to ensure timely release of the allocations.
Responding in Parliament recently, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said devolution funding is not automatically disbursed, explaining that councils must first submit bankable and implementable project proposals.
"It is quite an arduous process. It takes time. We, as Treasury, have tried hard to capacitate local authorities... It is not a mechanical push of resources from Treasury onto local authorities that are not ready," Ncube told Parliament.
He said Government aims to improve the proportion of devolution funding released as progress is made towards meeting the constitutional target. Ministry of Local Government and Public Works spokesperson Gabriel Masvora said unutilised or undisbursed allocations cannot be carried forward into the next financial year. Citing Section 31 of the Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19], Masvora said appropriations lapse at the end of each financial year.
"Unutilised or undisbursed appropriations are not rolled over into the next financial year, and no balances accrue from one fiscal year to another," he said.
For example, Masvingo City Council was allocated ZiG 52,026,600 in devolution funding for 2025, equivalent to about 8% of its annual budget, but reportedly received none of the allocation.
The funds had been earmarked for projects including the Mucheke Trunk Sewer rehabilitation and the Mucheke Stadium upgrade, both of which remain outstanding. The 2026 National Budget has allocated ZiG14 billion for devolution, with local authorities hoping that disbursements will improve to accelerate infrastructure development and strengthen service delivery across Zimbabwe.
Devolution Fund Zimbabwe