Zinara resumes local authority disbursements

Zinara resumes local authority disbursements
Published: 11 February 2014
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration has resumed disbursing funds directly to local authorities, with at least $1,7 million in road maintenance funds earmarked for urban and rural councils in the first quarter of 2014.

The authority stopped direct disbursements of road maintenance funds to local authorities following allegations of abuse and misappropriation of the funds.

Zinara chief executive Frank Chitukutuku said this in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of a results based management training and strategic planning workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to align Zinara with requirements and the spirit of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).

"They are going to receive their allocations. We are not saying all councils have misused Zinara funds. What we are now doing is to engage all stakeholders. This quarter, they are going to receive their allocations, as it is prepared in the budgets they submitted," Chitukutuku said.

He said the funds would be closely monitored to ensure they are used for their set purposes. "Starting from now we are going to monitor them (local authorities) that they have used the money properly, they have presented their acquittals before they can get their next allocations for road maintenance funds," he said. Chitukutuku said funds for local authorities would be increased in due course.

He said Zinara was also consulting stakeholders to see how best to capacitate local authorities.

"Our belief is that if our local authorities have proper equipment they can do better and we can improve our roads," he said.

Zimbabwe Local Government Association director Lucy Furumera commended Zinara for buying graders for rural councils and equipment for urban municipalites, but said priority should be given to resettlement areas.

"As a country our thrust is on agriculture. We want the new farmers to access the markets through passable roads. This is a key priority area," she said.
- The herald
Tags: Zinara,

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