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Bulawayo Bureau
Bulawayo City Council said yesterday that it will auction about 500 derelict properties whose owners have, for the past five years, failed to pay rates. The local authority’s legal officer, Spekiwa Guta, said under the council by-laws, council can repossess and auction any property whose owner has failed to pay rates (derelict) for a period exceeding five years.
Guta revealed this during a 2015 budget consultative meeting with residents and the business community at the Small City Hall.
She said the council had identified about 1 000 such properties, some of them owned by prominent business people and powerful politicians, which had been abandoned and/or deserted.
Some of the properties are occupied by people that are not paying anything to council.
“We’ve identified 1 000 derelict properties,” she said.
“These are properties whose owners have not paid rates for more than five years,” said Guta, who is also the acting Chamber Secretary.
“We’ve approached the property owners and only 494 have responded. As for those who’ve not paid or responded, we’ll be approaching the High Court to repossess and sell those properties.
“Anyone who has not paid rates for more than five years is doing a disservice to the council.”
In May this year the municipality issued a notice giving the concerned property owners 60 days to make necessary payments or risk losing their properties.
The council said the properties include vast tracts of land, mostly in the eastern suburbs, that has been lying idle for several years.
“Notice is hereby given to the owners of the listed properties to come forward and make the necessary payments to council within the next 60 days. Failure to do so will result in council claiming this property in terms of Section 5 of the Titles Registration and Derelict Land Act Chapter 20:20,” read part of the notice.
“It states that persons having claim on derelict land may apply to High Court or other public body upon immovable property in Zimbabwe and such property is abandoned, deserted derelict, and the owner thereof cannot be found, it shall be lawful for the person or body claiming such rate or assessment to apply to the High Court, stating the amount claimed to be due and the grounds applying for relief under this Act.”
The list also included beneficiaries of Whitestone Township and Mqabuko Heights, Buena Vista Township ad Dlamini Township who purchased stands from their respective land developers and were not receiving rates bills.
The council has in the past expressed concern about the high number of residential and commercial stands that have remained underdeveloped for a several years.
Some owners of the land have attributed the failure to develop their stands to the economic situation, saying they could not afford it.
During yesterday’s budget meeting it emerged scores of people in new suburbs, who are mainly youthful and gainfully employed, were not keen to pay rates and rentals to council.
Engineering services director, Simela Dube said, a survey by council has shown that senior citizens in suburbs such as Makokoba and Nguboyenja, were more loyal to council as they religiously pay their rentals.
Council directors had the opportunity to update the gathering, which included councillors, business people and civic society, on development progress since January.
These were focused on road rehabilitation and construction, health, housing, refuse collection, fire and ambulance, refuse collection and social services.
The major highlights were drawn from three service clusters that are informed by the country’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.
These are food security and nutrition, social services and poverty eradication, infrastructure development and utilities.
The council has budgeted $158 million this year with $107 million going towards capital expenditure and $50 million meant for capital projects.
Online Reporter