By Panashe Divine Karidzagundi
The Municipality of Beitbridge has presented a ZWG 431,188,725.81 proposed budget for the 2026 financial year, anchored on the theme “Enhancing minimum service delivery towards Vision 2030.”
The budget was tabled Thurday by Finance and Staffing Committee Chairperson, Cllr John Manatsa, during a full council meeting held at the municipal chambers.
Manatsa said the 2026 budget seeks to accelerate service delivery improvements in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS2) and the national vision of achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
He said the budget is gender-responsive and crafted through extensive consultations across all wards and stakeholder clusters.
The budget is structured around six key municipal programmes, including Governance and Administration; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Social Services; Roads; Public Safety and Security; and Natural Resources Management, although the latter remains under rural authority jurisdiction.
Stakeholders had raised concerns over water supply reliability, road infrastructure decay, sewer network maintenance, and public safety.
In response, the 2026 budget prioritises, Sustainable water supply amid the ZINWA prepaid water system rollout, Rehabilitation and maintenance of key road networks, Improved sewer reticulation, Strengthened social service delivery, Upgraded public safety and security systems.
“The 2026 budget leaves no one behind. It captures the voices of residents, development partners, and business players who actively participated in our consultations,” said Manatsa.
The Municipality expects to finance the budget from a diverse mix of revenue streams.
The biggest contributors will be, Transfers: ZWG 163.2 million (37.85%), Sale of Goods and Services: ZWG 159.9 million (37.10%), Taxes: ZWG 99.9 million (23.19%)
Manatsa revealed that capital expenditure will dominate, taking up 58.2% of the proposed budget, with the remainder, 41.8% allocated to recurrent expenditure.
Beitbridge was allocated ZWG 100.3 million in Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers for 2026 under the national devolution programme.
This is a significant jump from the 2025 allocation of ZIG 40 million, which was never disbursed.
Under ZINARA, the Municipality received ZWG 2.3 million in 2025, which was used for works on the Renkini–Shuleshule Road.
The review of the 2025 budget revealed significant financial challenges.
Out of the projected ZWG 305 million revenue for the year, only ZWG 88.9 million had been collected by September, a 30% budget execution rate.
“The biggest setback was the non-release of devolution funds, which forced us to shelve key capital projects,” said Manatsa.
Billing collection efficiency was recorded at 62%.
Presenting the broader economic context, Manatsa noted that inflation is expected to drop to single digits early next year, with the local currency projected to stabilise further as government intensifies efforts to make the Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG) the primary medium of exchange.
Zimbabwe’s economy is expected to grow by 5% in 2026, driven by agriculture, mining and manufacturing.
The Chairperson underscored Beitbridge’s rapid growth, noting its population of 58,574 (2022 Census) and historical trend of doubling every decade.
He applauded Beitbridge investments which includes, Tourism along the Limpopo River, Industrial and commercial land development, Agro-processing and manufacturing, Solar energy development, Automotive, aquaculture and agro-industrial ventures under the emerging Special Economic Zone, Quarrying and solid waste recycling projects
Despite financial constraints, the Municipality recorded notable milestones: Clearance of Zinwa legacy debt, improving water supply, Acquisition of a motorised grader, Completion of the Mbedzi Public Toilet, Renovation of Dulivhadzimu Clinic, Commissioning of a waste recycling plant through development partners
Manatsa confirmed that the majority of tariffs will remain unchanged in 2026, except for a few reductions and adjustments to licensing fees mandated by national government.
Monthly bills will be based on USD tariffs but payable in all tradable currencies at the prevailing exchange rate.
He also indicated that a long-awaited senior citizens’ rate relief policy for people aged 60+ is under review but not yet finalised.
“With collective effort, this budget will drive us closer to achieving a smart, sustainable Beitbridge City by 2030,” he said.