66 Zimbabwe Councils Fail To Submit 2024 Financial Reports

66 Councils Still To Submit 2024 Financial Reports

Sixty-six councils across Zimbabwe have yet to submit their financial reports for 2024 to the Auditor General. The findings were revealed in a hard-hitting 497-page report tabled in Parliament. The delays have triggered questions over accountability, transparency, and the use of public funds.

Auditor General’s findings

Acting Auditor General, Rheah Kujinga, released the detailed report on 6 September 2025. It covers the financial year ending December 31, 2024, and highlights serious failings by the majority of local authorities.

Kujinga wrote in the report:

“The report paints a grim picture of rampant financial mismanagement with goods procured three years ago yet to be delivered, missing supporting documents and receipts for transactions running into millions of dollars and failure to account for revenue collected from parking fees and schools run by councils.”

Among the worst examples was the Gweru City Council, which was unable to produce receipts for procurements worth ZWL$883.1 million. It also purchased a backhoe loader for US$82,330 (approximately R1.5 million), but paid US$102,048 (approximately R1.8 million), resulting in an unexplained overpayment of US$19,718 (approximately R337,000).

The Auditor General confirmed that only 26 local authorities managed to submit their 2024 books on time. Nine still have not submitted for 2023, and some councils are behind by as many as five years, with audits pending from as far back as 2019.

Kujinga warned:

“Good governance and transparency among local authorities are the basis of a stable economic environment and achievement of national goals. Councils must adopt proper financial systems and address gaps that continue to recur.”

The report also condemned councils for failing to implement International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), which are part of the Zimbabwe Financial Reporting Manual. Only those councils that have adopted these standards have shown improvements in reporting.

Another concern raised was the lack of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems. Most councils continue to record revenue on a cash basis rather than an accruals basis, creating opportunities for revenue leakage and incomplete records.

Social media backlash

The revelations sparked outrage and ridicule on social media. Many Zimbabweans expressed frustration over why ratepayers must meet their obligations when councils fail to produce accounts.

Former Harare East MP, Rusty Markham, criticised the delays in a post on X on 12 September 2025:

“Delay… Delay… delay when it comes to accountability and transparency but we must pay our rates asap at the rate of the day!!”

One user, @MaiZuKitchen, asked:

“What if the whole country refused to pay rates till they show us what they spent our money on?”

Another, @munapoano, described the findings as:

“Disappointing.”

Others focused on specific issues with the list of councils. User @MarvyMarv29 noted:

“I don’t see Mutare city council on there.”

Another user, @zindovee, tried to lighten the mood:

“Is it deliberate that Byo is on top of the list .”

Councils under fire

The Acting Auditor General’s report also revealed that 12 councils, including Kwekwe, Bindura, and Masvingo, paid for goods such as ambulances and fire tenders that have not been delivered for more than three years.

Kujinga further criticised local authorities for failing to maintain proper asset registers or revalue their assets, saying this compromised accountability for public property. She noted that in some cases, councils claimed they did not have the funds to carry out revaluations.

She also highlighted that councils often ignore recommendations made in previous audit reports. Of the 639 issues raised in 2019, only 195 had been addressed by 2023 — representing just 30.5%.

The report concluded with recommendations for councils to modernise their systems, maintain accurate asset registers, and establish boards of inquiry into lost or stolen assets. Kujinga emphasised that without reforms, service delivery in areas such as water supply and sewer systems will continue to stagnate despite urban population growth.