Harare city council plans to splash out Z$1,45-trillion to buy 329 sedans and pick-up trucks for its managers and field staff, Zimbabwe’s Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Its website said the purchase would be made with money the city intended borrowing from the open market.
About Z$1,1-trillion would be used to buy 183 one-tonne trucks, at an average cost of Z$6-billion apiece.
Another Z$42-billion would go towards the purchase of 90 sedans going for Z$3,6-billion each.
Other items in the huge capital lending budget were several ”executive” desks, each of which costing over Z$50-million.
The council is also planning to buy office chairs and refrigerators that will cost several hundreds of millions of Zimbabwean dollars.
Borrowing the money from the open market at current interest levels means rates, tariffs and other municipal charges would have to be increased.
This would be vital for the city to be able to service the debt, implying an increased burden on ratepayers.
According to the current exchange rate one South African rand is worth more than 15 000 Zimbabwean dollars. – Sapa