THE CITY OF MASVINGO HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON CITY’S 2023 BUDGET STATEMENTd

In a press conference held on Friday November 25, 2022, the city of Masvingo Deputy Mayor, Cllr Wellington Mawende interacted with journalists from various media houses on City’s 2023 Budget Statement. The total budget is USD 23.6 million of which USD 17 million is expected to be generated internally while USD 6 million is expected to be funded from other sources such as Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers, Zinara grants and external loans.
The capital budget is USD 8.5 million while the recurrent budget is USD 15.1 million.
Expenditure allocations by program is as follows;
Governance and Administration USD 5.5 million
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene USD 7.2 million
Social services USD 7.2 million
Roads USD 2.3 million
Public safety and Security Services USD 1.2 million
Capital expenditure priorities
Education facilities USD 734, 000
Health facilities USD 631, 000
Water & Sewer Infrastructure USD 2.6 million
Roads and Storm Water Drainage USD 632,000
Social Amenities USD 2.9 million
Operational Assets USD 1 million

In his welcome remarks in the Mayor’s reception, the City Deputy Mayor Cllr Wellington Mawende highlighted the role of media and the benefits of meeting journalists to interact with them in city’s development because their contributions are seen by everyone and the impact, they bring in the society is more valuable. Because of that, the City of Masvingo organise a press conference quarterly to exchange ideas with journalists in a manner of responding everyone’s question and come up on building the Masvingo we want.
During the press conference there are some highlighted activities to be proud of in Masvingo in infrastructure where a new secondary school was built in 2021, with two new blocks now at roof level, opening of a new clinic, completion of Cambria landfill and rehabilitation of roads. Out of 268km of road network in the city, 189km were sealed, 97km – gravel to increase road trafficability in the city and more roads will be rehabilitated during this physical year of 2022/23.
On social economic developments different markets for nearly 1000 vendors were constructed, leisure parks inaugurated, Kernen Park among others
Responding to different questions raised by journalists, the City of Masvingo Deputy Mayor Cllr. Wellington Mawende said that many are being done to transform the city rapidly but the continuous partnership with citizens and different stakeholders will make it happen sooner and better.
As a takeaway, the Deputy Mayor recalled the vision of the City of Masvingo and asked them keep doing constructive media:

An Industrialised World Class Metropolitan City by 2030.