Council audits properties

Lovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
KWEKWE City Council has embarked on a property audit aimed at ascertaining the development of the city and increasing the local authority’s revenue base.

The council, which is owed more than $20 million by ratepayers and industry, collects an average of $990,000 monthly, a figure which is below the municipality’s expenditure.

The situation has resulted in council failing to settle some of its obligations which include payment of workers’ salaries on time.

Kwekwe Mayor Matenda Madzoke said the audit would, among other things, establish domestic properties which have been converted into commercial properties and regularise some properties which are not on the council database.

“As a council we need to know properties within our jurisdiction so that we establish what we’re supposed to collect in terms of revenue. We need to know if we’re billing water to everyone in the city because we suspect that there are some property owners who aren’t paying anything to council,” he said.

“There could be a variance between what’s on the ground and what’s on council’s database. So this audit is being done so that council can verify the number of commercial properties as well as the number of residential properties. We’ll also be checking whether these properties are paying the prescribed rates.”

The local authority is owed more than $20 million by both industry and residents as most companies that used to support the council are struggling to pay for services rendered.

Kwekwe also supplies water to the satellite town of Redcliff, which has failed to pay for the service, amassing a debt of almost $13 million. On average, council collects $900,000 and spends $600,690 on its salaries and wages bill, leaving the small balance to be channelled towards service delivery and other expenses.