Harare Plans to Expand City Parking Bays to Boost Revenue
The City of Harare is planning to significantly increase the number of parking bays across the capital as part of efforts to widen its revenue base, Mayor Jacob Mafume has said.
Speaking during a recent council meeting, Mafume said the local authority would propose the expansion of parking territories in its next budget, taking advantage of the statutory powers embedded in budget approvals.
“Of course, the technological advances are good and I think the issue of expanding the territory is also excellent,” Mafume said.
“We have been mandated as a council to look for ways of raising revenue, and one of the ways is to increase the parking bays.”
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He explained that incorporating the expansion plan into the 2026 budget would allow it to be legally binding once the budget is approved as a statutory instrument.
“I’m finding that the easiest way to get a statutory instrument is to use the budget,” Mafume added.
“Our legal team will advise us, but once it is inside our budget, it becomes easier. We have certainly been able to get the streetlights levy, the water levy, and the emergency levy approved this way.”
Mafume stressed that increasing parking bays would enable the city to grow its revenue without solely relying on increasing service charges and fees, which could overburden ratepayers.
“Revenue can be expanded without necessarily increasing percentages,” he said.
“If you keep eating your own flesh, at the end of the day you might end up remaining with a skeleton. We must be robust in expanding our revenue streams.”
Currently, the parking bays are being managed under a partnership with private firm City Parking.
The mayor did not immediately disclose how many more bays the city aims to add or the specific areas targeted for the expansion.
City authorities are under increasing pressure to improve service delivery amid chronic budget shortfalls, water shortages, and deteriorating infrastructure.
