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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
PLUMTREE Town Council has rejected a petition submitted by residents contesting the local authority’s decision to engage debt collectors to recover unpaid water bills.

Residents from the town recently compiled a petition rejecting the final notices from debt collectors. They also appealed to the council to withdraw the services of the debt collectors.

Plumtree Residents’ Association chairperson Zodwa Mabuza said the local authority had instead deployed councillors to wards to explain that the decision would not be reversed. “We submitted the petition at the council offices and the officials pointed out that the debt collectors wouldn’t be withdrawn as they had followed a legal procedure. They also pointed out that people were defaulting in paying their rates, hence the need to engage debt collectors.

“Instead councillors have been deployed within wards and they’re explaining to people that the exercise of receiving notices from debt collectors would continue,” she said.

Mabuza said the council had indicated that residents had failed to adhere to the stipulated time frame to make their payments.

She said residents were bitter as they felt the council did not notify residents before engaging debt collectors.

Residents expected council to have first issued them with reminder notices and first-warning notices before the final notices.

Mabuza said they would hold a residents’ meeting where they would strategise on how to further petition the local authority.

Residents in the town said they were still receiving final notices from the debt collectors.

The local authority recently engaged Wellcash Debt Collectors Private Limited which began issuing final notices to residents that owe the council more than $50 in unpaid water bills.

In the letters, defaulters were advised to make their payments which included the debt collectors’ fee within 48 hours or risk facing further legal action.

The debt collectors have reportedly not taken any further action yet following the issuing of the letters.

Residents who met recently to compile the petition rejecting the final notices argued that some of their bills were exaggerated.