By Sifelani Murambiwa.
Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – Chiredzi Town Council has launched a water disconnection bleats with the aim at recovering more than US$3 million they are owed by residents and the business community in unpaid rates.
The local authority has gone for seven solid months without paying its workers’ salaries.
Workers have since threatened to take their employer to the courts over the dispute.
Chiredzi Town Council Chairman Councillor Francis Moyo said the local authority has been patient with its residence evidenced by formulating some payment incentives at which residents were awarded a discount for clearing their dues since the beginning of the year.
Councillor Moyo said all residents benefitted from Local Governance Minister Ignitious Chombo’s commanded bill scarping but residents have ignored to owner their service provider by paying up.
“As council we saw that residents are not paying their dues. Everyone has a zero reading on his water meter but it’s shocking that residents took Minister Chombo’s bill scarping as a measure not to settle bills,” said Moyo.
Moyo said council has failed to improve on service delivery due to the unavailability of funds.
“Service delivery is depreciating and the major reason is our internal source of finance are blocked. Residents are not paying and council is owed more than US$3million in unpaid rates. Workers are have gone for more than seven months without their full salaries and we believe its time residents must be pushed say by cutting their water supply,” said Moyo.
Chiredzi Residents Association Secretary General Janathan Muusha however rubbished Council Chairman Moyo’s sentiments saying council engaged residents association to help them mobilise residents to settle their bills but after the process council did not share the outcome of the campaign with other stakeholders.
“Council is not transparent in its operation. We were engaged to mobilise residents to settle their arrears last two months and we did but after council enjoyed the income flow they then ignored residents associations. Now they have gone against the High Court Order which says water is basic human right which must never be disconnected on anyone,” said Muusha.
Muusha said residents are prepared for dialogue but council is just playing ‘hide and seek’ as they don’t want to meet them.
“Residents are not happy with the poor service provision, some areas are not receiving water at all but they resident is forced to pay a fixed charge of US$13 for water which they never used. This is why residents are not paying,” said Muusha.
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