Council intensifies blitz on defaulters

Last late year, the council started issuing summons to companies, businesses and residents who are defaulting on paying rates and other service charges.
The exercise is meant to recover more than $61 million owed to the local authority by customers, including Government departments, who have not made efforts to pay bills or discussed a payment plan with the local authority.
The council, in a report in December last year, named several business premises and industries that have defaulted and owe amounts ranging from less than $1 000 to about $70 000.
The council stated that it was facing challenges in debt recovery where customers were threatening debt collection staff or denying them entry into their premises.
The Deputy Sheriff was directed to attach property at Haddon and Sly yesterday after the council obtained a Writ of Execution against the business over a debt of $34 466,31 in unpaid rates.
This follows an application for a default judgement made by the local authority in September last year, through its legal representatives, T Hara and Partners.
In the application for the default judgement, the council submitted that the defendant, who is Haddon and Sly, was duly served with summons on 7 June last year but failed to enter a plea with the Notice of Intention to Bar.
The default judgement was granted in favour of the council by High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha on Monday (Case Number 1379/11) in the sum of $34 466,31.
The defendant should also pay interest at the prescribed rate to the date of final settlement and also to pay the cost of the suit.
The council was also granted a default judgement to recover $13 642,72, another amount Haddon and Sly owes it, although the Writ of Execution to that effect is yet to be issued.
The council then obtained a Writ of Execution authorising it to recover the $34 466,31.
Reads part of the Writ of Execution: “You are hereby required and directed to attach and take into execution movable property of Haddon and Sly, the above mentioned respondent of Number 89 Fife Street, Bulawayo, and of the same cause to be realised the sum of $34 466,31 plus interest at the prescribed rate on the above quoted date of settlement being the taxed and charges of BCC which it recovered by judgement of this court.”
Haddon and Sly is also required to pay the applicant or its attorney the sum due to him with costs.
Some of the businesses that the council has handed over for legal collection and are likely to lose property through execution are Pannar Seed, Zimplow, Jaggers Wholesalers, National Tyre Services, Apex Holdings, Garment Labels, Melksham Enterprises, Boiler and Steam Services, Godwin Tanda Tavaruva, Mardon Printers, Coastwinds Investments and Wadebury Investments, to name but a few.