By Chipo Gudhe
Former Kwekwe City councillors have urged the local authority to publicly release its externally audited financial statements, arguing that doing so would strengthen accountability and improve public trust.
The call was made last week during the council’s strategic planning stakeholder engagement meeting held in Kwekwe.
Speaking on behalf of the former councillors, Kwekwe’s last executive mayor, Alderman Stanford Bonyongwa, said external audit reports are public documents that must be accessible in the spirit of good corporate governance.
“There is need to enforce accountability and transparency through stakeholder participation. Council needs to avail external audited accounts as stakeholders we need to gauge the external audit accounts to determine performance and ascertain where we are going wrong as a city. This enhances good corporate governance, transparency and accountability,” he said.
Alderman Bonyongwa further stressed the importance of regular financial assessments to ensure the council remains on track.
“We need to have quarterly or annual financial reviews so that if there is corrective action it can be taken there and then,” he said.
He added that the city’s budget should be aligned with its strategic plan to ensure that residents’ priorities and expectations are adequately reflected.