While hospitals across Zimbabwe are running out of basic medication like paracetamol — a tablet that costs as little as 5 US cents but remains out of reach for many — local councillors are preparing to splurge over US$1 million in ratepayers’ money on hotel stays, food allowances, and travel for a one-day meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The staggering figure, enough to buy 20 million paracetamol tablets or fully restock dozens of rural clinics, will be spent on 2,595 councillors from the country’s 92 local authorities as they gather in Masvingo for the second “indaba” with Mnangagwa in just seven months.
In a country where some mothers are turned away from hospitals because there are no gloves, and patients are told to buy even the most basic painkillers, the luxury accommodation and daily allowance of over US$209 per councillor has ignited fury across the nation.
BREAKING: Councillors to Blow Over US$1 Million in Ratepayers’ Money for Mnangagwa Meeting in Masvingo
Masvingo – 26 June 2025
An estimated US$1.088 million in ratepayers’ money is set to be spent tomorrow as 2,595 councillors from Zimbabwe’s 92 local authorities descend on Masvingo for a meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa — the second such indaba in just seven months.
Despite the dire financial state of many councils, with some battling salary backlogs stretching for months and others presiding over collapsed services including water, roads, and sewer systems, the Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA) has coordinated yet another costly gathering.
Last year’s councillors’ indaba, held in Harare, also attracted criticism for excessive spending amid deteriorating urban and rural infrastructure. Councillors at the time received US$209.80 per person per day in allowances, broken down as follows:
• US$90 for bed
• US$22.50 for breakfast
• US$30 for lunch
• US$37.30 for dinner
• US$30 supplementary allowance
If the same package is paid out this time, the total cost for all councillors would exceed US$1 million.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works spokesperson Gabriel Masvora confirmed the indaba to The Masvingo Mirror, noting that the event is officially sanctioned. However, efforts to obtain comment from ZILGA chairperson Aaron Golden Shamu were unsuccessful.
This lavish expenditure has sparked outrage, particularly in municipalities like Harare where some suburbs have gone without running water for over a decade and refuse collection is erratic at best. Councillors are being accommodated in hotels and provided with transport and food allowances — a bitter pill to swallow for residents footing the bill amid deepening service delivery failures.
The opposition has accused the Mnangagwa administration of using such meetings to consolidate political loyalty among local representatives while disregarding the financial suffering of ordinary citizens.
Critics also say the repeated meetings lack any tangible outcomes, describing them as “talkshops” designed to mask the collapse of Zimbabwe’s urban governance framework under ZANU PF’s watch. – MasvingoMorror, additional reporting
More updates to follow.