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The City of Harare is losing out on millions of dollars in potential revenue due to a sprawling network of over 5,000 illegal billboards, most of which are controlled by politically connected individuals and even insiders within the local authority, Parliament heard this week.
During a combative session at Town House on today, lawmakers from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) grilled Harare city officials over the rampant mismanagement of outdoor advertising space. The meeting followed revelations in the Auditor General’s Value for Money Audit Report, which covered operations across nine municipalities, including the capital.
Kuwadzana East legislator and PAC chairperson Chalton Hwende did not mince words. He revealed that the city is officially collecting revenue from just 187 legal billboards, while thousands more—illegally erected—are generating income for private pockets, not public coffers.
“What we’re seeing here is the city being looted in broad daylight,” Hwende told reporters after the session. “There’s an entrenched cartel operating outside the law, and some of its members are inside the very system meant to enforce compliance.”
City officials initially defended their failure to remove the unlicensed structures, citing a lack of equipment—specifically cranes needed to dismantle billboards. However, MPs on the committee were unimpressed, pointing out that the city has made no attempt to find alternative solutions or hold offenders accountable.
It soon became clear, the committee argued, why enforcement had stalled: some city officials were reportedly behind the illegal billboard operations themselves, personally collecting advertising fees without remitting anything to the city.
“This is not just negligence—it’s corruption,” Hwende posted later on X (formerly Twitter). “It explains why the city has done nothing about it. Officials are profiting privately, while service delivery continues to collapse.”
The unregulated billboard sector has ballooned into what some are calling a “shadow economy” of advertising barons who operate with impunity. This comes at a time when Harare is struggling to maintain basic services—from waste collection to water delivery largely due to budget shortfalls.
Analysts say proper enforcement and regularisation of billboard licensing could immediately inject millions into the city’s finances, helping to ease its service delivery woes. But doing so would require confronting powerful interests who benefit from the current chaos.
Mayor Jacob Mafume, present at the hearing along with the town clerk and senior directors, acknowledged the city’s challenges but did not directly address the allegations of insider involvement. He committed to reviewing billboard policies but gave no timeline for implementation.
Meanwhile, the PAC has vowed to press ahead with its oversight work. The committee is expected to conduct site inspections in Chinhoyi later this week, as part of its ongoing scrutiny of municipal operations and financial accountability.
As Harare grapples with crumbling infrastructure and chronic underfunding, the billboard saga has emerged as a stark example of how deep-rooted corruption continues to undermine public trust—and rob the city of resources it desperately needs.
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