$1.4bn debt cripples Harare

Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Correspondent

Harare City Council operations have been crippled by debtors that owe it more than $1. 4 billion with residents being the major debtors followed by business and Government, respectively.

According to latest figures released by the council as of May 31 residents living in the low density areas owe council $504 012 990 while those in the high density areas owe $359 312 594.

Industry and commerce owe the city $529 740 528 with Government owing $38 590 763.

Harare said it is struggling to meet basic service delivery as it requires over US$2.1 million per month for water treatment chemicals alone. The city’s principal communications officer Mr Innocent Ruwende urged stakeholders to pay their dues to improve service delivery.

“Residents and business fund service delivery. Stakeholders should realise that if they do not pay for services, the city will not progress,” he said.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said Harare has not been serious about addressing the root causes of declining revenues, especially the billing system and over-employment when they have no capacity to pay the workers. Mr Shumba said the Government and business had a duty to pay their bills, and once they do that, the residents would not be overly burdened as is the current situation.

Mr Shumba said residents had lost confidence in the capacity of council to effectively communicate its programmes and provide essential services.

He said deep-seated corruption in council must be immediately uprooted if it hopes to gain the trust of the citizens as an essential service provider.