HARARE
–
The
City
of
Harare
has
slashed
business
licence
fees
by
50
percent,
a
move
officials
admit
will
leave
a
US$500,000
hole
in
the
city’s
revenue
base.
Presenting
the
2026
council
budget
on
Thursday,
finance
and
development
committee
chairperson
Councillor
Costa
Mande
unveiled
a
US$690.8
million
spending
plan
—
up
19
percent
from
this
year’s
budget.
Mande
said
the
fee
cuts
were
meant
to
make
it
easier
to
do
business
in
the
capital.
Under
the
new
structure,
shop
licence
fees
will
be
reduced
by
about
50
percent,
with
small
shops
under
50m²
now
paying
US$200
a
year,
down
from
US$400.
Hawkers
(non-food)
will
pay
US$58,
down
from
US$115,
while
hairdressers
will
now
pay
US$230
instead
of
US$460
—
a
measure
Mande
said
was
designed
“to
support
women
and
youth
operators.”
“While
this
will
result
in
reduced
revenues
amounting
to
US$500,000,
we
believe
the
relief
will
stimulate
small
business
growth,”
he
said.
The
city
continues
to
rely
heavily
on
property
tax,
water
services
and
wastewater
charges
for
most
of
its
income.
Mande
said
levies
introduced
in
2025
—
covering
emergency
services,
street
lighting
and
water
—
will
remain
in
place.
Harare
plans
to
spend
US$118.95
million
on
roads,
targeting
the
repair
and
sealing
of
200
kilometres
of
roads,
upgrading
drainage
systems
and
installing
smart
traffic
lights.
A
further
US$21.4
million
has
been
set
aside
for
governance
and
administration,
including
the
rollout
of
a
new
Enterprise
Resource
Planning
(ERP)
financial
management
system
to
improve
transparency
and
efficiency.
Mande
also
revealed
that
the
city
is
owed
ZWL$8.61
billion,
mainly
by
domestic
consumers,
while
its
own
debts
total
ZWL$2.114
billion
—
more
than
half
of
it
to
ZESA.