Chitown unauditable: AG report

Aaron Charungwa Moyo

CHITUNGWIZA Municipality is underscrutiny after failing to provide the Auditor General with crucial information on multiple issues, including water purchases, stand sales, and business licenses.

According to the Auditor General’s report, the council has not addressed several findings from the previous audit, raising concerns about financial mismanagement and lack of accountability.

The Auditor General’s report reveals unaddressed discrepancies by the Municipality which failed to furnish them with transparent funds management systems.

The report highlights several areas of non-compliance, including: Unrepaired bulk water meters, uninvestigated variances in stand sales, cash basis accounting for business licenses, unresolved receivables variances, missing beer levy sales returns and unaccounted infrastructure assets.

The discparencies also include unrevalued property, plant, and equipment, malfunctioned resident water meters and absent lease agreements for investment properties. Only management fuel allowances were found to be in compliance.

The municipality’s lack of transparency has sparked outrage among residents, who demand accountability for their tax dollars.

“This is unacceptable,” said a Chitungwiza resident Mrs Sarah Moyo of Unit F Seke Chitungwiza.

“We deserve to know how our money is being spent”, Mrs Moyo said. The municipality is yet to comment on the report’s findings.

Efforts to get comment from the Municipality spokesperson Tafadzwa Kachiko were fruitless as his phone was not reachable.

The municipality which failed to address the previous audit findings, and does not take measures to resolve issues previous raised, is rated as one of the worst councils in the country.

Residents accused the council of “gross mismanagement” and “betrayal of
Chitown Municipality under fire for lack of transparency Millions unaccounted for in AG Audit report.