MKOBA South legislator John Kuka has expressed concern over the amounts of money owed to Gweru City Council by government departments saying the debt was derailing service delivery in the city.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in Parliament, Kuka said Treasury should ensure that government departments commit to timeously paying their bills to the local authority.
“Can the Ministry of Finance inform the House when Treasury will settle outstanding bills owed by various government departments to the Gweru City Council?” Kuka asked.
Finance deputy minister Kudakwashe David Mnangagwa acknowledged the debt owed to local authorities, adding that Treasury was committed to settling the outstanding bills.
“Government acknowledges its indebtedness to local authorities, including Gweru City Council, for services rendered,” he said.
“In line with all local authorities, Treasury is committed to addressing its obligations and to clearing all verified arrears in a structured and sustainable manner.”
Mnangagwa, however, urged local authorities to validate and confirm the amounts owed by government departments to facilitate the process of clearing outstanding bills.
“Once validated, these bills should be submitted to the parent ministry, the Local Government ministry, en route to Treasury for consideration and processing,” he said.
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Last month, Gweru council assistant finance director Owen Masimba said the Midlands city’s ratepayers owed the municipality ZiG737 million as at June 30, 2025, in unpaid bills, with government departments owing more than ZiG120 million.
“As at June 30, the largest debtors were domestic high-density suburbs owing council ZiG194 million, government departments ZiG121 million and commercial ZiG99 million," Masimba said.
He said there was an urgent need for the local authority to come up with strategies to expedite debt recovery.
He, however, said council was open to payment plans to facilitate the clearance of arrears by both individuals and institution.
