Harare — Government will not approve budgets by local authorities it deems outrageous, Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo said yesterday.

The warning comes after councils defied the November 30 budget submission deadline set by the Government.

Harare and Bulawayo are among councils that have not submitted their 2010 budgets to the ministry for approval and only four had done so as of yesterday.

Harare announced its US$500 million budget, which would largely be funded from rates, business entities and borrowing, a few hours before the deadline expired on November 30.

Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Minister Chombo said this was the third time he was warning councils to comply with the Government directive and his ministry was anxiously waiting for the budgets.

"The ministry anxiously awaits submission of 2010 budgets. May I hasten to mention that in terms of our budget guidelines, councils were expected to submit their budgets by the 30th of November 2009 and it is instructive for all councils to urgently submit the same as supported by explicit evidence of thorough consultations with clients and stakeholders," he said.

Minister Chombo urged local authorities to effect reasonable rates and levies.

"Accordingly, I expect local authorities to effect rates and levies which are realistic. I wish to advise local authorities that cost-reflective charges shall be approved, but my ministry will not endorse levies premised on extortionate rationale," he said.

The minister challenged councils to correctly interpret the current economic environment and appropriately conceive amortised rates collection regimes in line with the low salaries people were earning.

He said vulnerable members of the society should be allowed to pay off their dues in agreed instalments.

Minister Chombo said his ministry expected local authorities to deploy reasonable resources towards capital development and provision of municipal services.

He blasted some councils for their insatiable appetite for expensive and unfruitful workshops usually conducted away from their stations.

"This is a radical departure from their service delivery mandate. I wish to, as I do hereby, warn such local authorities to desist from collective mismanagement of affairs and finances of council. Clearly, there is no room for any lavish expenditure under the current dispensation," Minister

Chombo said.

This comes amid reports that the Harare City Council had been conducting frequent workshops in resort areas like Nyanga and Victoria Falls.

Minister Chombo said councils were expected to proffer a framework for economic stabilisation through prioritisation of projects and programmes exhibiting regional competitiveness to optimally anchor the economy.

It is also their mandates to spur initiatives like public works programmes to alleviate poverty, give impetus to strategies that foster improved capacity utilisation in agriculture, industry and commerce among other things.

Minister Chombo said his ministry would enforce the wage service bill ratio of 30 percent to 70 percent, saying local authorities were created to deliver services to the residents.

He instructed councils to put in place practical arrangements to avert the resurgence of cholera and other water-borne diseases.

"We want to witness more action on the water and sanitation front inclusive of solid waste management," Minister Chombo said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet has reactivated the Taskforce on Cholera chaired by the Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development.

Other members are the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity and Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management, Zinwa and the City of Harare.

The taskforce had its inaugural meeting on Monday and shall soon embark on a tour in towns and cities across the country to assess the situation on the ground.

Cholera claimed several lives throughout the country last year and Government wants to avert any possible catastrophes this year.

However, the inter-ministerial taskforce was re-activated this week following the resurgence of cholera cases in the country that resulted in four deaths and 146 treated cases.

According to the statistics released on Tuesday, Chipinge recorded the highest number of treated cases at 58, while Gokwe had 57 and recorded two deaths.

Bindura, Rushinga, Gokwe South recorded one case each while Harare recorded six cases, all of which were treated.

Two cases recorded in Chegutu turned fatal while all the 17 cases in Makonde were treated and three in Kadoma were treated and discharged.