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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Town Council has started instituting legal action against businesses which owe it over $1,2million in water bills, the town secretary Loud Ramakgapola said yesterday.
He said non-payment of bills by residents and ratepaters was affecting service delivery in the border town.
Ramakgapola said council was having problems in servicing a water bill owed to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority due to defaulters.
“The non-payment of water and other bills by residents and businesses is affecting service delivery. At the moment we are owed around $1,2million by those with water bills of $10,000 and above. We have had several consultation meetings with business and residents to pay up to no avail and we have decided to go the legal route,” said Ramakgapola.
He said a number of capital projects in the town have been seriously affected by the unavailability of funds.
He urged businesses and residents to pay up monies they owe on time so that the local authority remains viable.
“It is important for the people to pay up their bills so that we can operate efficiently and smoothly as a local authority,” he said.
He said even though they were instituting legal action against defaulters, they will continue holding consultative meetings to come up with a long lasting solution to the problem.
The town secretary said non-payment for services was becoming a perennial challenge.
Due to failure to settle bills, water supplies to the town have been reduced.
Zinwa started reducing water supplies as a way of forcing the local authority to pay $6 million in water charges dating back to 2009.
It is pumping 2,000 cubic metres of water per day down from 6,000 cubic metres. The town needs 15,000 cubic metres of water per day.
Online Reporter