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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
MANGWE Rural District Council has over the first three months of this year collected 20 percent of its projected quarterly budget of $566 093.

In an interview acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mandla Donga said as at March 31 they had only collected $112 818.

The RDC’s budget for the year is $2,2 million.

“Our budget performance is far below what we had anticipated as we have only managed to 20 percent of our quarterly budget. This means we have collected five percent of our yearly budget of $2 256 375 contrary to an expected 25 percent.

“This is far below what we expected as we had targeted to collect about 60 percent of our yearly budget by June. We had taken into consideration that the first quarter and part of the second quarter are harvesting seasons,” he said.

Mr Donga said plans were underway to open council sub offices in various wards that would serve as revenue collections points.

He said the offices will first be opened in Ingwizi, Marula and Mayobodo areas.

He said council officers will be deployed to the sub offices where they will receive payments from rate payers.

Mr Donga said if this strategy is successful more sub offices will be opened in other wards.

“We have set up measures to try and boost our revenue collection. We will be setting up sub offices in various wards for revenue collection. Council officers will be stationed in these sub offices. If this strategy is successful then we will open more sub offices in other wards.

“This strategy will help ease the burden faced by villagers of travelling long distances to our offices for payments. The furthest villages in our districts are about 200 kilometres away,” he said.

He said his office will engage the Ministry of Health and Child Care to open some of their sub-offices at clinics as they were located centrally.

Mr Donga said plans were also underway to increase trading places for vendors and to avail more residential stands in order to boost revenue collection.

He said the local authority was still facing resistance from some miners and farmers who were not forthcoming in paying their levies.

He said council had resolved to take legal action against defaulters.

Mr Donga said they had previously deployed mobile teams to various wards to collect rates but the strategy was not successful.

The local authority this year proposed a $2,2 milion budget, marking a 44 percent decrease from last year’s $3,2 million budget as a result of prevailing economic hardships.

This was after a realisation that the budget for previous years has been unattainable.

— @DubeMatutu