Parliament Summons 10 Councils Over Auditor-General's Adverse Findings

MASVINGO – Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts has summoned 10 local authorities to explain financial irregularities highlighted in the Auditor-General's 2021 to 2023 audit reports, as lawmakers intensify oversight of public spending by councils across Zimbabwe. The hearings, being held at Clever's Lodge near Lake Mutirikwi in Masvingo, form part of a nationwide inquiry into the management of public funds by local authorities.

Chairperson of the committee, Caston Matewu, said the exercise is designed to enable Parliament to establish how public resources are being utilised and to hold local authorities accountable for audit findings.

"The purpose of these hearings is for Parliament to understand how public funds are being used by local authorities. We are engaging councils that received adverse findings in the Auditor-General's reports," Matewu said.

He warned that councils with serious cases could be summoned to appear before the committee in Harare for more detailed investigations.

"Where we identify serious issues, we will invite those councils to Parliament in Harare. The committee can make recommendations to Government, and Government is constitutionally required to respond within 60 days," he said.

Matewu said the public hearings are being conducted in line with Section 299 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which empowers Parliament to monitor and oversee the expenditure of State revenues and public funds. He described the exercise as the first time Parliament has undertaken such a nationwide engagement with local authorities over the Auditor-General's findings.

According to Matewu, only Marondera Rural District Council and Goromonzi Rural District Council will not appear before the committee because they received clean audit reports and had no adverse findings. The councils appearing before the committee in Masvingo include:

• Mwenezi Rural District Council

• Chivi Rural District Council

• Chiredzi Town Council

• Gutu Rural District Council

• Masvingo City Council

• Runde Rural District Council

• Beitbridge Town Council

• Zaka Rural District Council

• Bikita Rural District Council

• Beitbridge Rural District Council

Masvingo Rural District Council and Chiredzi Rural District Council are expected to appear before the committee during hearings to be held in Mutare. The nationwide hearings began in Bulawayo two weeks ago and are expected to conclude in August.

During the hearings, Bikita Rural District Council was questioned over the operations of the now-defunct Bikita Hanyanya (Private) Limited, a company reportedly established by the council. Members of Parliament sought explanations on how the company was formed, who served on its board, and how it was managed after learning that some directors were councillors and senior council officials who allegedly received remuneration from both the council and the company.

Meanwhile, Gutu Rural District Council was questioned over its failure to conduct an asset revaluation exercise. Chief Executive Officer Alexander Mtembwa told the committee the council lacked the financial resources to undertake the exercise independently and was seeking technical assistance from Masvingo City Council, which has already completed its asset revaluation. Chiredzi Town Council also faced questions over its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which auditors found had failed to function effectively since 2020.

The committee heard that the malfunctioning billing and accounting system contributed to financial discrepancies amounting to millions of dollars and had not yet been fully updated to accommodate Zimbabwe's current currency framework. Council officials told MPs that a replacement ERP system is expected to be operational within the next six months. The hearings are expected to continue as Parliament strengthens oversight of local authorities in a bid to improve financial accountability, governance and service delivery across Zimbabwe.

Public Accounts Committee local authorities