Poor revenue collection frustrates district council

Mangochi District Council assistant director of finance Davies Maferano has bemoaned the council’s failure to collect sufficient revenue in markets.

He made the remarks on Tuesday in Monkey Bay, Mangochi when Local Government Accountability and Performance Project (Lgap) officials held a meeting aimed at persuading vendors to pay market fees.

Maferano told market committee leaders, chiefs, the council secretariat and civil society organisations (CSOs) that the situation is frustrating the council’s service delivery.

He said: “We are failing to pay utility bills and employees as well as improve sanitation.

“The council expects to collect K230 million revenue per annum from its markets in the district, but it collects K180 million due to vendors’ failure to pay market fees.”

Mangochi CSOs vice-chairperson Dickens Mahwayo said the meeting was important as it would help the council generate more revenue from its markets.

“We promise to partner the council in sensitising the vendors about the importance of paying market fees,” he said.

Lgap is engaging councils on how they can maximise revenue collection.

The initiative seeks to make councils deliver services efficiently and help citizens to hold them accountable.

In Mangochi, the meeting comes at a time many vendors are shunning designated places government constructed for them.