adminTemba Dube Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO residents who used water within the rationing limits in the western suburbs should expect bills averaging $42 while their counterparts in the eastern suburbs may pay about $132 for July and August.Most residents are yet to receive bills since the cancellation of debts accrued by individuals between February 2009 and 30 June as directed by Government.
Although council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu declined to release the figures yesterday, the budget shows that the average monthly bill for houses in the western suburbs went up to $21 from $13. The average bill for those in the low-density areas went up by 100 percent from $33 to $66.
“The bills for residential properties are dependent on a number of issues which include water consumption by the household,” said Mrs Mpofu.
However, she urged residents to guard against letting their bills accumulate to unmanageable levels as was the case before the Government directive.
Mrs Mpofu said council had made it easier for residents to pay bills without needing to queue at the Revenue Hall as they can now use EcoCash Biller Code 14969.
“All domestic customers are hereby encouraged to pay their July and August 2013 bills at the nearest Council Banking Hall. Corporate organisations are also encouraged to settle their outstanding bills and if they have any challenges they should approach the municipal offices for arrangements to clear their outstanding bills,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She said on 30 June, following the cancellation of debts for the period between February 2009 and 30 June, institutions including commerce and industry owed council $40,2 million while the Government owed about $7 million and this includes Government schools.
She said the council owed its creditors about $76,5 million. A majority of Bulawayo residents reportedly stopped paying council bills soon after Government directed councils to write off debts.
According to figures released by council recently, monthly revenue collections declined by almost 65 percent, from about $6,9 million to around $2,4 million.
More than 12 000 residents in the city had, according to council, not paid a single cent since dollarisation in 2009.
Residents are seemingly unaware that bills accrued after 30 June are payable in full as they are not covered in the directive.
The local authority indicated at the end of August that it had received about $2,4 million from residents compared to about $4,5 million in July. Before the directive, council was reportedly collecting as much as $6,9 million every month.
On Monday, the political leadership and civic society in Bulawayo urged residents to pay their council bills on time to ensure provision of efficient service delivery.
They challenged council to tighten its billing system and ensure that charges were commensurate with consumption. The Bulawayo City Council reversed bills amounting to $46 million, Harare City Council, which was reportedly owed about $400 million, has written off $330 million while Chitungwiza scrapped $40 million.
Residents have called on the Government to extend the directive to cover Zesa and TelOne bills.
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