By Andrew Muvishi
The Municipality of Marondera is yet to receive its ZiG 81.7 million devolution allocation for 2026, threatening the implementation of critical infrastructure and service delivery projects.
Marondera Town Clerk Rinashe Nyamuzihwa revealed the shortfall to stakeholders during the recent budget performance review and strategic plan consultative meeting.
“Council was allocated ZiG 81,699,700 under the devolution programme, but no disbursements have been received to date,” said Nyamuzihwa.
This funding gap severely disrupts the local authority’s plans to upgrade essential infrastructure, particularly across water and sanitation, roads, public safety, and social services.
According to the municipality’s 2026 Second Quarter Budget Review, more than ZiG 43.9 million of the devolution funds was earmarked for the water sector.
An additional ZiG 7.2 million was allocated for road rehabilitation.
Public safety projects, including electrical infrastructure upgrades, were slated to receive ZiG 20.3 million, alongside planned investments in education, health, and community facilities.
Perennial Funding Challenges
Marondera Residents Open Forum (MAROF) director Tapiwa Chengeta said the non-disbursement of devolution funds threatens the implementation of critical development projects.
“These are not luxury projects; they are essential services that directly affect residents’ health, safety, mobility, and quality of life,” said Chengeta.
“The consequences of delayed funding are ultimately borne by the residents.
“Water shortages persist, roads continue to deteriorate, poor street lighting compromises public safety, and planned infrastructure improvements risk being carried over into another financial year.”
Devolution funding has previously enabled Marondera to undertake tangible service delivery projects.
In earlier years, Council used the funds to drill 17 boreholes, install three modular water storage tanks, procure six water bowsers and rehabilitate rapid sand filters at Longlands Water Treatment Plant.
The municipality also acquired a grader. Marondera gets $13,5m devolution funds.
The projects demonstrated the important role devolution funds can play in complementing Council’s own resources while addressing infrastructure deficiencies.
———————————————————————————————————-
Love what we do? We’re dedicated to opening up democracy, one article, video and story at a time. If you find our reporting helpful, you can support the Magamba Network team by buying us a coffee. It’s quick, easy, and makes a real difference!
————————————————————————————————————
