Zimpapers Logo

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

GWERU City Council has taken a drastic action against defaulting residents in a move that has seen scores of residents having their property attached for not settling bills.

With residents’ debt ballooning to $300million from $240million around January- some residents who owe council over $70 000 woke up strange visitors- Messenger of Court- on their door steps to attach property.

The development has been condemned by resident’s associations in Gweru who feel that the local authority is insensitive to the ratepayers’ plight.

In January, council effected a 146percent tariff increase in the approved 2021 budget, which resulted in residents receiving ballooning bills as well as final demand letters to settle debts.

Gweru ratepayers wrote to council demanding a 50percent cut in rates arguing that they were struggling to settle their bills due to the effects of the Covid- 19-induced lockdown.

However, the local authority last month shot down a request by the ratepayers for the rates to be slashed by 50percent.

From Tuesday, the Messenger of Court has been following on residents with final demand letters attaching their property.

Mayor Councilor Josiah Makombe said those with property being attached failed to settle their debts or even make payment plans.

“We had a stakeholders meeting with all the residents associations and agreed that people should come to council and make some payment plan. All those who were owing council were notified and advised to have payment plans. Some did not even dare to do so. We had agreed to give people a month to do the payment plan and failure to do that council was to proceed with the legal route – the route it has taken,” he said.

Clr Makombe said residents had time to avoid such actions which might appear as ruthless.

“This was agreed sometime in March. However, those who have not come to council for payment plans should do so to avoid such actions. We are owed more than $300 million and this has affected us too badly as we are failing to provide enough service because of that,” he said.

The Mayor however said he wasn’t sure how much will warrant legal action saying, “But we are targeting mainly those with big figures.”

Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) director Mr Cornelius Selipiwe condemned the council for attaching the defaulter’s property.

“No the attachment of property for defaulting residents is not in any way justified, Gweru economy is informal, with Covid- 29 induced locked down it means no economic activity hence no disposable income,” he said.

Mr Selipiwe said the tariff hike is the reason why debts are ballooning, adding that the council billing system is also allegedly in shambles hence the authenticity of the debts is always questionable.

“The relationship between residents and council will be further strained which is a disaster in terms of community development,” he said.

Gweru United Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Association director Pastor David Chikore said the local authority should seek to find a point of convergence with residents through residents associations and other civil society organisations.

“This brute force approach will forever be counterproductive as the financially incapacitated residents are bound to push back, with even greater a force. Council must find common ground with residents. Most people are in debt, not because they don’t want to pay, but because times are hard and there are competing interests for the meagre incomes,” he said.

Pastor Chikore said there is a real danger that residents might end up boycotting payment of council bills en-masse if this matter is not properly addressed.

“Times are hard for all and its time council adopts austerity measures in its internal operations. We have not made any progress in the negotiating front, so we have resolved to escalate our intervention to demonstrations and petitions,” he said.

“We are forever mindful of the fact that the bills that form the basis of council’s debt recovery are contentious, they are estimates which render the bill defective.”

Pastor Chikore urged residents to continue paying while at the same time lodging an Appearance to Defend with the Courts.

“While council may be justified in collecting its dues, there is need to empathize with the cash constrained residents, most who have just emerged from the Covid- 19 induced Lockdown, where they had no income source and also the fact that the national economy is not yet back to normal,” he said.