By Correspondent
The City of Harare had received just 6.7 percent of its expected Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) grant by July 31, 2026, raising concerns over the funding of road rehabilitation, maintenance and upgrades in the capital.
According to a City of Harare report covering January to July 2026, the local authority received ZWG31.5 million against an expected grant of ZWG469.8 million.
The shortfall has raised questions about the adequacy and transparency of road fund disbursements.
The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) said the absence of a transparent and accountable formula for distributing road funds left councils dependent on ZINARA for allocations needed to maintain their road networks.
“In the absence of a transparent and accountable road fees disbursement formula, local authorities will continue to beg ZINARA for the release of their grants for road servicing,” HRT said.
HRT argued that the funding arrangements placed an unfair burden on residents.
These have continued to face demands to finance road repairs despite road users already contributing to revenue collected through ZINARA.
“Without a clear devolved governance and without a transparent disbursement formula for road funds, Harare residents will continue to be burdened with the mandate to fund the repair of roads.
“Yet, ZINARA collects most of its money from Harare’s motorists,” the organisation said.
The trust’s concerns centre on the gap between revenue collected from motorists and the resources reaching the local authority.
The figures indicate that Harare had received ZWG438.3 million less than its expected allocation by the end of July.
The amount received represented approximately one-fifteenth of the expected grant.
The funding gap comes amid continuing demands for road rehabilitation across Harare, where poor road conditions affect commuters, motorists, public transport operators and businesses.
However, the reported figures do not establish why the grant fell short of the expected amount.
It doesn’t explain if subsequent disbursements were made, or how much ZINARA collected from Harare motorists during the period.
ZINARA’s explanation for the funding gap and its position on the proposed disbursement formula were also not included.
