Zimbabwe’s Urban Councils Fail to Meet Performance Targets

The Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe Logo (image source)

Reporter

Zimbabwe’s urban local authorities are once again under the spotlight after a damning government performance review revealed that not a single one of the country’s 32 urban councils met their set targets for the last reporting period. Even more worrying, the report showed that 16% of the councils fell outside the recommended performance values altogether, raising questions about accountability, service delivery, and the very future of urban governance in the country.

The findings, tabled by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, paint a grim picture. Despite millions of dollars allocated through government transfers, ratepayers’ funds, and donor assistance, local authorities failed to meet benchmarks across essential services such as water supply, waste management, road maintenance, housing development, and financial accountability. This has resulted in roads riddled with potholes, intermittent or non-existent water supply, uncollected garbage piling up in residential areas, and worsening outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

For urban residents who already pay some of the highest rates in the region, the report comes as confirmation of what they live daily, a system that takes but does not give back.

Experts and residents say these council failures are driven by chronic corruption and mismanagement as Councillors and senior officials are frequently implicated in scandals involving inflated tenders, ghost projects, and misuse of funds. In many towns, audit reports reveal cases where service delivery budgets are swallowed by administrative costs.

Councils have become battlegrounds for political parties, with opposition-led councils often clashing with central government, which in turn withholds funding or interferes in operations. This leaves residents caught in the middle. There is also poor revenue collection driven by unemployment and poverty leaving many households unable to afford rates. Councils, already struggling with leakages and corruption, have weak systems for revenue collection, compounding financial woes. Additionally, many councils lack qualified personnel in critical departments such as engineering, finance, and urban planning. This means even when funds are available, execution falters.

The collapse of urban governance is more than just an administrative failure—it has direct, painful consequences for ordinary people. Residents in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, and Mutare have endured recurring cholera and typhoid outbreaks because of contaminated water supplies and poor waste management. Roads in urban centres are now so poor that transport costs are rising, damaging vehicles and pushing up food and commuter fares. Whilst council housing schem s have stalled, worsening the national housing backlog. Informal settlements continue to mushroom with little planning or sanitation.

Meanwhile some ratepayers are increasingly refusing to pay bills, citing poor service delivery, creating a vicious cycle of underfunded councils and further decline. Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has admitted that the results are “disappointing but not surprising,” saying the performance review highlights the urgent need for reform.“We cannot continue with business as usual. Councils exist to provide services to residents, not to serve as political platforms or self-enrichment schemes. We are considering measures to strengthen oversight and improve accountability mechanisms,” he said.

Civil society organisations argue that reforms must go beyond rhetoric. The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) says years of empty promises have left residents sceptical.“Councils do not fail in a vacuum. They fail because there is no accountability. Councillors are more loyal to their political parties than to the citizens who elect them. Until that changes, these performance audits will remain exercises in paperwork,” CHRA director Lorraine Ndhlovu said.

Ordinary residents expressed frustration that they are paying more for less. “Every month I pay my bills, but the tap runs dry for weeks and rubbish is never collected. What exactly are we paying for?” asked a Harare resident in Kuwadzana. The failure of all 32 councils highlights the systemic nature of Zimbabwe’s governance crisis. It is not confined to one city, one political party, or one region. It is a national problem requiring national solutions. Urban governance experts argue that Zimbabwe needs to decentralise power effectively, giving councils autonomy to raise funds but also holding them tightly accountable through transparent, participatory systems. Without that, the cycle of poor performance, corruption, and citizen disillusionment will persist.

Until Zimbabwe fixes its councils, the dream of functional, livable cities will remain out of reach, and performance audits will be little more than grim reminders of how far the country’s local governance has fallen.