Online Reporter
Debra Matabvu
THE Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) is investigating Harare City Council over concerns about estimated water bills, with residents saying the practice is fraudulent and short-changing ratepayers.
The probe follows a formal complaint lodged by the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) recently, which accused the local authority of systematically inflating water bills through unreliable estimates.
While residents have water meters that measure actual consumption, and the council used to send meter readers to record the latest figures on the meter, with the charge then being on the difference between months, the city council now rarely reads meters and simply makes estimates.
The Trust said the practice has left many ratepayers financially burdened and frustrated.
In response, the CPC said the continued use of estimated billing constitutes a violation of consumer rights, as it deprives residents of fair and transparent service.
Harare does not have a working billing system resulting in the local authority failing to effectively receipt and bill residents. Council attributes its revenue collection challenges to the absence of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
The non-functionality of a council billing system has become a burden to residents with some receiving a monthly bill for as much as US$800, largely made up of a month’s estimated water use.
The lack of proper billing has also resulted in the local authority losing millions through revenue leakages.
In an interview, CPC spokesperson, Mr Kudakwashe Mudereri, said the commission had already written to Harare City Council with investigations set to begin soon.
“The Consumer Protection Commission is mandated by Section 6(r)(ii) of the Consumer Protection Act to monitor the effectiveness of service delivery to consumers by organs of State,” he said.
“It is in light of this mandate that the Commission received a complaint from the Harare Residents Association to the effect that Harare residents feel short-changed by the city council through estimated water bills.
“The Commission is of the review that this practice is violating consumer rights as the estimated bills might be overstated, thereby short-changing consumers and robbing them of their hard-earned resources.
“Many consumers have reported dissatisfaction with the estimated water readings they receive, which often lead to inflated bills.
“This practice not only places an unfair financial burden on consumers but also undermines their trust in municipal services. We urge the city council to adopt more accurate metering practices and ensure transparent billing processes.
“The Commission has since written to the Council so that the issue is addressed to the satisfaction of the consuming public. The Commission is arranging a meeting with the city council so that a lasting solution is found to the satisfaction of Harare Residents.”
HRT director Mr Precious Shumba said the estimated billing had resulted in residents losing property and revenue for undelivered services, which are also estimated.
“The absence of a functional, transparent, and accountable enterprise resource planning system, commonly known as the billing system, prompted the Harare Residents Trust to raise the complaint with the Consumer Protection Commission,” Mr Shumba said.
“Residents are being billed based on estimates and for services not provided. We have raised this issue with the council, but they have failed to address our concerns. Harare City Council has been without a credible billing system since March 21, 2019.
“Reports also suggest that the council is losing US$200 million every month through financial leakages as a direct result of the absence of a proper billing system.”
Mr Shumba said after the investigations, bills should be cut by 50 percent.
“The HRT expects the CPC to thoroughly scrutinise the billing system, even facilitating public hearings in communities to hear the magnitude of the crisis,” he said. “They need to protect ratepayers from bullying by the City of Harare. A significant number of ratepayers have received letters of final demand and notices of eviction based on inaccurate billing information. After a thorough scrutiny, we expect the City of Harare to be compelled to cut its amount owed by between 50 and 60 percent to give the much-needed relief to the residents of Harare.”
The absence of a billing system has resulted in lack of transparency and accountability at the local authority.
In a full council meeting last year, Harare City Mayor Jacob Mafume said the local authority had no information on the number of households it is billing for its services.
