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Unicef has been providing water treatment chemicals to Harare and other municipalities since the 2008 cholera outbreak.
Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda said: “We have been ready and willing to pay for our own water treatment chemicals. Besides Harare, we have an obligation to supply water to Chitungwiza, Norton and Ruwa. We will be able to source the amounts required.”
Mr Masunda said the Unicef deal ends in March next year.
Asked how the city, which is battling to provide efficient service delivery, would source the chemicals, he said: “The money has to come from somewhere. We will intensify efforts to recover money we are owed.”
Council is owed about US$200 million by industry (US$80m), Government and its departments ($70m) and individual ratepayers (US$40m).
Last month, the city embarked on a blitz on defaulters with the mayor personally engaging some companies that were reluctant to settle their bills.
“The system is in one hell of a mess. Every month we have to find between US$2 million and US$3 million to purchase water treatment chemicals.
“Unicef gave notice. They said they are not able to continue supplying local authorities with chemicals,” Mr Masunda said.
The Mayor said Harare will not have difficulties in buying water purification chemicals if consumers pay their bills.
“We continue supplying services in good faith. As we speak, council is owed US$9 million by Chitungwiza Municipality. They (Chitungwiza municipality) are supposed to collect money on our behalf and remit it to us, but Alderman Philimon Chipiyo does not know how the system works,” Mr Masunda said. Alderman Chipiyo is the Mayor for Chitungwiza.
“People must pay up so that we are able to do these things. We are not getting any funding from Government.
“The city is expected to generate its own revenue from rates, licensing of motor vehicles among other things. If we were to recover the bulk of the money then we will be able to do these things,” Mr Masunda said.
Besides the burden of getting water treatment chemicals, he said the city required US$58 million to repair all its roads. The roads are in a sorry state and the situation has deteriorated as a result of the rains.
Online Reporter