17/06/2026
The collapse of service delivery is deliberate in Harare
Harare City Council is teetering on the brink of administrative collapse, engulfed in a deepening institutional crisis that has severely crippled its ability to deliver basic services to the city’s over two million residents. What was initially perceived as mere bureaucratic delays has now been exposed as a systemic breakdown rooted in power concentration, selective financial prioritisation, and a glaring lack of accountability within key departments, especially the Finance and the Procurement Management Unit.
At the heart of this dysfunction lies a dangerous standoff between the Finance Department and two critical service arms: the Harare Water Department and the Procurement Management Unit. This institutional paralysis has left essential operations grinding to a halt, with residents paying the heaviest price. Workers tasked with maintaining water and sanitation infrastructure are being forced to operate without the most basic personal protective equipment (PPE) — including gloves, safety boots, gas detectors, and protective clothing — despite repeated procurement requests. These life-saving items have been stuck in limbo due to the Finance Department’s refusal to release urgently needed funds.
Central to these allegations is Acting Finance Director Godfrey Kusangaya, who is now accused by multiple councillors and senior officials of wielding unchecked authority over the city’s financial flows. Credible sources within the council allege that Kusangaya exercises disproportionate control over budget prioritisation, effectively acting as a gatekeeper who determines which departments receive funding and which do not. Disturbingly, while funds for essential service delivery remain blocked, payments for managerial allowances, fuel for high-ranking officials, and contracts to certain favoured companies are processed with unusual speed and efficiency.
This pattern of selective disbursement raises serious questions about equity, transparency, and the integrity of financial governance at the council. Why are Harare Water employees denied protective gear necessary to safely handle raw sewage and hazardous environments, while funds for non-essential expenditures are readily available? Why are contractors – some with records of substandard or incomplete work – paid on time, while frontline workers are left exposed to health risks and operational setbacks?
The consequences are no longer abstract. Council workers now refuse to respond to burst sewer lines and blocked drains without proper protection, citing legitimate fears for their health and safety. This growing defiance is not insubordination. It is a desperate response to institutional neglect. The failure to equip workers is not only a violation of occupational safety standards but also a direct threat to public health, as untreated sewage spills into residential areas, contaminating water sources and increasing the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Meanwhile, decentralisation efforts are being sabotaged by financial strangulation. Regional managers, entrusted with overseeing local service delivery across Harare’s districts, are operating with severely constrained resources. Although US$5,000 was allocated to each regional office to support decentralised operations, the Procurement Management Unit has introduced an unnecessarily complex and time-consuming disbursement process, rendering the funds practically inaccessible. This bureaucratic red tape defeats the very purpose of decentralisation and undermines local responsiveness.
Even more concerning is the non-release of the 20 per cent ward retention funds, which, by the council's own policies, are designated for community-level development projects such as road repairs, office requirements, and local sanitation initiatives. These funds, meant to empower wards to address their unique challenges, are being withheld at the central level, further eroding trust between the council and the communities it serves.
Despite declining revenue collection due to the country’s broader economic hardships, the city still generates income from rates, fines, and service charges. However, these limited revenues are being held hostage by internal power struggles and administrative bottlenecks. Money is not the primary problem. Mismanagement, lack of oversight, and the concentration of financial authority are the problems.
Service delivery has collapsed. Roads remain potholed, water shortages persist, and sanitation systems are failing. The ratepayers, especially the ordinary citizens who depend on these services, bear the brunt of this institutional failure.
Unless urgent action is taken to dismantle the current financial chokehold, restore inter-departmental cooperation, and introduce transparent, accountable systems of fund release, Harare’s descent into urban decay will accelerate. The council must not only restructure its financial oversight mechanisms but also institute performance accountability for managers whose actions — or inactions — directly hinder service delivery.
The residents of Harare are not asking for miracles. They are demanding basic governance, functional systems, equitable resource allocation, and leaders who prioritise public service over personal control. The time for political shielding and administrative silence is over. Harare residents cannot wait.
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