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The development comes at a time when the city council has intensified its blitz on defaulters in a bid to recover about $60 million owed to it in unpaid rentals.
In an interview with Chronicle at his home yesterday, Mr Prince Matambanadzo, son to the late Patrick Matambanadzo, of House Number 64642/33 Tshabalala, expressed shock over the council’s debt recovery method.
“Two weeks ago on a Tuesday, council officials came here to remind me about our debt of $300. They requested to inspect the property to be attached before giving us a three-day ultimatum to pay,” said Mr Matambanadzo.

“On that Thursday, we paid half the amount and remained with a balance of $150. They then came back last Wednesday at around 10am, disconnected water and took away a four plate stove and a fridge saying they did not care about the money that I had paid.
“On the same day I borrowed $150 and went to Tower Block offices at about 2pm to clear the balance. At that time I was told to pay $20 for their transport.”

Mr Matambanadzo said he was shocked when council officials told him to pay an additional $231.
“To my surprise, I was told to pay another $231 for me to get back my property. They said the money was going to pay the six-men team that came to our home,” he said, showing the receipts to this reporter.
“They said if I do not pay that money, they will auction the property on Saturday. I was forced to borrow $300 from a loan shark who wants it paid back by next month.

After all I was ordered to find my own transport to take the property back home. I had to hire a truck at a cost of $15. I am now in a difficult situation to raise all the money I borrowed. I stay with my sister who is also not working.”
Mr Matambanadzo said he was now living in fear that the loan shark who gave him the money would also take away his property.

“I am also a casual worker in one of the companies and as far as                      I am concerned, it will take me three months to pay back the money. What pains me is that the people who lent me the money said they would be adding  interest of $80 each time I failed to meet the deadline,” he said.
According to the warrant of execution against property Case Number 6658 of 2011, a copy shown to Chronicle, Mr Matambanadzo owed council $306 and was supposed to pay $536,18, which included attachment costs of $130 and removal costs of $100.

The documents indicated that the Messenger of Court was sent to the Matambanadzo family on 6 March 2012 where he listed the property to be attached.
These included a three-piece kitchen cabinet, a four-plate stove and a fridge all worth over $1 000.
The city council is on record warning residents that it would resort to measures such as imprisonment to force them to pay their bills.
Recently, the local authority auctioned property worth over $3 million belonging to defaulters in different parts of Bulawayo after issuing summons to about 2 200 defaulters.

Council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu recently said council has no option but to auction the attached property to recover its money if defaulters do nothing about their debt.

The development has, however, sparked outcry from residents who feel the council is being too harsh on them.
Others contend that the method is not being administered in a transparent manner as they feel cheated.
The residents also argue that the city council is taking their valuable property to sell it for peanuts while some say the issue of property attachments has not been clearly communicated to them.

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Thaba Moyo could not be reached on his mobile.