City of Harare lose revenue from 5,000 illegal billboards

Yesterday the Public Accounts Committee met the City of Harare team led by the Mayor Jacob Mafume the Town Clerk and Directors and Managers at Town House to discuss the Value for Money Audit Report on 9 local authorities that was conducted by the Auditor General.

Key Findings from the Public Accounts Committee Meeting with Harare City Officials:

1. Revenue Loss from Billboards The City of Harare is only collecting fees from  187 legal billboards, while 5,000 billboards are illegal generating no revenue for the city.

2. Failure to Enforce Compliance When questioned about measures to recover lost revenue, officials claimed they lacked a crane to remove illegal billboards.

3. It was later revealed that some officials operate these illegal billboards, privately collecting money for themselves, which explains their reluctance to enforce compliance.

The audit exposed significant mismanagement and corruption, highlighting the need for urgent corrective action.

Today they are visiting Chinhoyi municipality and Chinhoyi University of Technology.

Zwnews