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Temba Dube Senior Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council is on a collision course with Government as it has reportedly partially implemented the Government directive to write off debts accumulated by residents in the last four years. The Government announced just before the 31 July harmonised elections that the country’s 92 local authorities should cancel debts accrued by residents between February 2009 and 30 June this year.
However, according to council bills issued to residents in Burnside suburb, council did not cancel charges relating to water.
In an interview recently, the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo, said the directive covered every item on councils’ bills.
He said Government would not hesitate to fire any official or councillor who prevented the directive from being implemented.
In separate interviews yesterday, a number of Burnside residents said they were disappointed with the development.
Council is still in the process of delivering bills to other suburbs.
“They deducted the amount that I owed for rates, Vat and refuse removal. I owed about $900 and council only removed $517. I called council’s billing section and I was told the water debt would not be cancelled,” said a resident who called Chronicle.
Another resident said her bill was $1 300 but only $346 was written off.
“I know President Mugabe said they should cancel everything. I am disappointed. We need to start on a clean sheet because no one will ever be able to clear these huge debts that have been accumulating over the years due to the state of the country’s economy,” said the resident.
Council public relations officer Miss Bongiwe Ngwenya had not responded to questions seeking clarity on the issue by the time of going to press.
It was not clear if residents, who were up to date with payments, would benefit from the directive.
An update meeting that council was supposed to hold with Bulawayo Provincial Administrator, Mrs Khonzani Ncube yesterday, to get feedback on the implementation of the directive, was postponed to tomorrow.
Mrs Ncube chairs the committee that is in charge of monitoring implementation of the directive in the city.
Contacted for comment, Mrs Ncube said a tight schedule had caused the postponement.
“The meeting was moved to Friday due to other commitments. We expect the local authority to update us with regards to progress on the directive to write off bills,” said Mrs Ncube.
The directive had been dismissed by Government detractors as a Zanu-PF ploy to buy votes.
However, recent developments have shown that Government was sincere in issuing the order, as a number of local authorities have complied.
Harare City Council, which was reportedly owed about $400 million, has written off $330 million while Chitungwiza scrapped $40 million.
The Government order was meant to bring relief to millions of Zimbabweans who have been economically disempowered by illegal sanctions, which the MDC-T invited from its Western sponsors in a bid to force regime change.
President Mugabe has said the directive was irreversible and said it was not a political campaign gimmick as alleged by other people.
Bulawayo residents owe council about $100 million, residents owe Mutare City Council $20 million while in Kwekwe, unpaid bills amount to about $9,5 million.
Residents have called on Government to extend the directive to cover Zesa and TelOne bills.
Online Reporter