Levy scandal as Harare City Council buys only 2 ambulances after collecting 19.7 million ZiG from residents ‼️

HARARE City Council has confirmed that only two ambulances have been procured using the Emergency Services Levy, despite collecting over ZiG19.7 million from residents as of September 30. The revelation comes as the local authority faces intense public scrutiny and accusations of non-transparent expenditure regarding three new special levies. The public lighting levy, water levy, and emergency services levy were introduced at the beginning of 2025, with promises that they would directly support essential services.

However, the City has been under fire from residents, with some stating they had expected at least one new ambulance to be purchased every month using the emergency levy, and progress to have been made on installing new streetlights using the ring-fenced levies. When contacted for comment, Harare City Council spokeperson Mr Stanley Gama revealed that over ZiG19 million had been collected under emergency service funds, which is aimed at capitalisation of fire and ambulance services.

“By September 30, ZiG45.9 million was billed, with ZiG19.7 million being collected. Two ambulances were procured from the collected funds.” Mr Gama also revealed that over ZiG16 million had been collected under the public lighting levy, which is aimed at the renewal and expansion of the city’s public lighting infrastructure.

“ZiG39,3 million was billed, with ZiG16,9 million being collected. Two platforms were procured, which are critical operational assets for the public lighting section.”

He also clarified that billing for the ring-fenced levies began in March, not January as widely assumed. Regarding the special water Infrastructure levy, Mr Gama said over ZiG33 million had been collected.

“ZiG77,9 million was billed, with ZiG33,5 million being collected. Processes are currently underway to have foreign currency payments be facilitated by the authorities for foreign currency obligations.”

However, to Mr Precious Shumba, the director of the Harare Residents Trust, the public’s demand to know about the utilisation of funds is, by definition, an indication that the system is failing, as the quality of services should speak for itself.

“We should not have to look for explanations; we should be seeing ambulances delivered, tower lights installed on our residential streets, and water infrastructure upgrades funded by the three levies.

“The emergency services levy, specifically, ought to be purchasing us a minimum of three ambulances monthly. Frankly, we are not concerned with boardroom explanations. We demand to see the purchases and witness the commissioning of new assets at one to three clinics every month.”

He also bemoaned that, as residents’ representatives, they were being denied access to council minutes and called on President Mnangagwa to release the Commission of Inquiry report.

“You are talking of a council that has no tradition of being transparent. They do not want people to know. They hide information like it’s part of their culture.

“It’s actually what is entrenching corruption in council. That is why we have been calling on the President to release the Justice Maphios Cheda Commission of Inquiry report into the financial management in the City of Harare. We are aware there is a gross manipulation of systems.”

Harare’s last remaining tower lights were switched off in July, a blackout triggered by the City Council’s substantial and ballooning debt to Zesa Holdings Limited.

This development occurred despite the recent introduction of a lighting levy intended to fund public lighting services.

The mounting frustration led some councillors to call for district offices to be allowed to use funds collected from ratepayers on essential services like street lighting.

Speaking during a recent full council meeting, Ward 14 Councillor Costa Mhande articulated the residents’ bewilderment, saying: “It doesn’t make sense that people are paying, yet they are staying in darkness. They have begun asking what the money appearing on the bill is for.”

Reportedly, other suburbs had been without streetlights for over four months due to their failure to pay ZESA.

A low-density resident, despite already paying water charges, is paying an additional US$3 for the newly introduced water levy, US$1,50 for emergency services and US$1 for public lighting.

For high-density residents in areas such as Rugare and Kuwadzana, the extra charges are US$1 for the water levy, US$1 for emergency services, and US$1 for public lighting.

Commercial and industrial properties are paying an additional 7,5 percent of their monthly water charge to their bill, along with an extra US$2 for emergency services and US$1 for public lighting