THE SILENCE THAT IS KILLING ZIMBABWE’S COUNCILS
Zimbabwe’s local councils are collapsing right in front of our eyes, and nobody in power seems to care. The 2024 Auditor-General’s report on local authorities is a horror story of corruption, waste, and silence. Over one thousand and forty-two issues were recorded across 92 councils—just in one year. These are not small mistakes. They are signs of a broken system that keeps repeating the same failures every single year. The worst part is, nothing changes because no one is held accountable.
Why? Because people are afraid. Council workers see the corruption, but they stay quiet. They are scared of losing their jobs or being targeted if they speak out. Zimbabwe has no strong whistleblower protection. That means silence is safer than truth. And because of that silence, the looting continues. This is how ZANU PF has designed the system—where fear protects the corrupt and punishes the honest.
More than half of the councils failed to submit their financial statements on time. Out of 92 councils, 52 didn’t submit anything by March 2024. Some haven’t submitted anything in three years. That means billions of dollars have passed through these councils with zero accountability. No one knows where the money went. If whistleblowers were protected, insiders could have raised the alarm. But in Zimbabwe, the silence hides the abuse.
Devolution was supposed to bring development. But the Auditor-General’s report shows it has become another feeding trough. Ruwa Town Council got ZWL 1.2 billion for water projects. The money disappeared and people are still queueing at boreholes. Buhera Rural District Council got funds to drill boreholes, but they were never finished. Villagers are still drinking from rivers. Gokwe South paid contractors for roads that were never built. The roads are still a mess. Chegutu Municipality bought a refuse truck with devolution money. The truck vanished before it could even be used. These are not accidents. These are deliberate acts of theft.
Revenue collection is another disaster. Harare and Bulawayo failed to collect millions from unpaid bills. In Bindura, money collected was kept by staff for weeks instead of being deposited. Kadoma is owed over ZWL 1.4 billion, but there is no recovery plan. Councils claim they are broke, but the truth is the money is being swallowed by a corrupt system.
The abuse of assets is shocking. In Bulawayo, 11 vehicles are missing from council records. In Marondera, land was sold without any valuation—some of it to councillors themselves. In Zvishavane, no one can even find the title deeds. In rural areas, fuel and vehicles were used for private trips. In Chegutu, the mysterious missing refuse truck is still “under investigation,” yet no arrests have been made. It’s all a show, with no consequences.
The suffering is real. In Chitungwiza, raw sewage flowed into homes while sewer money disappeared. In Masvingo, uncollected garbage filled the streets as refuse projects failed. In Kwekwe, water cuts became normal because money for treatment chemicals was used elsewhere. In Buhera, villagers still drink unsafe water because boreholes were left incomplete. Each missing dollar means more pain for the people.
The Auditor-General has warned for years. In 2023, there were 998 issues. In 2024, it’s worse—1 042. Instead of fixing problems, the councils are creating new ones. Nothing changes because the thieves are protected. Whistleblowers are silent because there is no law to protect them. The silence is deadly.
Zimbabwe doesn’t need more reports. The evidence is already there. What we need is courage. We need a strong whistleblower law that protects those who tell the truth. Until then, corruption will keep winning—and the people will keep losing. The water will stay dirty. The roads will stay broken. The lies will grow louder. And the silence will keep killing us.
