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Mpumelelo Nyoni, Chronicle Reporter
A WIDOW from Bulawayo’s Pumula South suburb collapsed and later died in hospital after receiving a notice of intention to attach her property from the city council over unpaid bills amounting to $306.

Her family is now blaming the local authority for causing the death of their mother.

Patricia Mpofu, 57, a mother of six, died on Monday last week at Mpilo Central Hospital after council officials handed her a notice to attach her prized four-piece sofa set, four-plate stove and a steel kitchen cabinet.

A Chronicle news crew visited the family yesterday afternoon and found a handful of mourners and relatives who said the old woman was buried at West Park Cemetery on Friday.

Mpofu’s daughter, Siboneni, said her mother was deeply stressed by the notice and could not come to terms with the looming loss of her property, leading to her death.

“We’ve been trying so hard to settle the debt and have been paying something every month. The debt would, however, rise each month due to interest.

“When she was informed that she would lose her property she would always say to us her sofas were worth more than $300,” said Siboneni who broke down during the interview.

She could not recall the exact date the notice was served but said it was on a Friday evening when she last conversed with her mother before she collapsed the following day.

“On Friday evening, we sat in the dining room and talked for about an hour, pondering on where we would get the money to save our property. She was so stressed and everyone could see that my mother wasn’t the same person.

“On Saturday afternoon, she said she was feeling hot and dizzy. She called out to me asking for water before collapsing,” recalled Siboneni.

She said her mum was rushed to hospital and on Monday, a police officer visited the family, informing them of her death.

The news crew was shown the notice from a council debt collector dated August 13, 2014 with attached bills.

“This is to advise you that in the event of the above case, a warrant of execution/ejectment/delivery, has been issued at the instance of the judgment credit, represented by the plaintiff’s legal practitioners.

“Execution of this warrant will take place at 22232 Pumula South on 13/08/14,” read the notice.

Siboneni said after receiving the notice, her mother went to council offices to negotiate payment arrangements but the officials insisted they would come and seize her property. She said since then her mother’s condition had deteriorated.

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo could not be reached for comment while the area councillor (Ward 27), Siboniso Khumalo said he was not aware of the incident.

“I’m not aware of the incident but it must be a very painful experience for the family. I’ll definitely visit them and pass my condolences,” said Khumalo.

Council has been widely criticised for attaching property worth more than the debt accrued by residents before auctioning it for a song.

The local authority resorted to dragging thousands of residents to court and attaching property to recover unpaid bills after the High Court ruled against water disconnections.

Some residents have complained about inaccurate meter readings by council, which they blamed for inflated bills.