Nhau News Online News that is accurate, reliable, trustworthy!!
The City of Harare has proposed a US$1 levy per household to fund its emergency services and another US$1 for street lighting as part of efforts to address its deteriorating infrastructure.
This proposal was announced by Councillor Costa Mande, chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee, during the presentation of the 2025 budget. He highlighted the dire state of the city’s emergency services, revealing that Harare has only four operational ambulances against a requirement of 32.
“Our emergency services require urgent capacitation,” Mande said. “Out of a requirement of 32 ambulances, only four are functional. To address this critical gap, we are proposing the introduction of an emergency services levy and a street lighting levy in the 2025 fiscal year.”
The proposed US$1 emergency services levy is expected to provide a dedicated source of revenue for improving and expanding the city’s emergency response infrastructure. Mande emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “An emergency services levy is a crucial financial tool which will provide a dedicated source of revenue to fund essential emergency services.”
The US$1 street lighting levy aims to fund the installation and maintenance of streetlights, a vital infrastructure need for improving urban safety and navigation.
Mande acknowledged the resource-intensive nature of the city’s operations, which have relied heavily on devolution funds in 2024. However, he pointed out that insufficient revenue collection due to customer non-compliance remains a significant challenge.
“Measures to enforce payment are being instituted, but the collection efficiency remains below optimum levels,” he said, stressing the need for improved payment compliance to sustain city operations.
