Councillors engage in war of words over high bills

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

BULAWAYO councillors last Wednesday engaged in a war of words regarding high bills which residents have been receiving despite the persistent water cuts that are being experienced due to the prevailing water shedding schedule.

The city has been enduring a 120-hour water shedding regime due to the dwindling water levels at its supply dams which has been suspended for an “as and when available” schedule.

However, since the introduction of the water shedding schedule residents have raised concern over their high bills saying they are unexplainable considering that some suburbs can even go for more than a week without any water supplies.

Debating on the high bills during a full council meeting last Wednesday councillors engaged in war of words regarding the bills, with the city’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu saying there was a need for councillors to bring evidence of the high bills instead of basing debates on hearsay.

“I understand and appreciate the concerns raised by fellow councillors but at this level we should not be generalising as councillors, to say the bills are high. Last month we debated about this issue and advised councillors to bring bills here. It was going to be better if we were discussing, debating on bills provided, not just hearsay and speculation. It is not fair, it is not expected at our level as councillors,” said Clr Ndlovu.

The Deputy Mayor’s sentiments came after various councillors raised concern over the continued high bills, calling on the Finance and Development Committee to urgently look into the matter.

“Residents are complaining about over billing and it’s continually worsening and in the statement of their bills, residents have raised some concerns. Residents really wish to pay their bills but the bills are unexplainably exorbitant, people do not understand how estimates work at a time when they rarely get any water,” said Ward 17 councillor, Sikhulekile Moyo.

Clr Felix Madzana of Ward 18 said there was a need to urgently address the issue as the matter was raised for debate in every council meeting without a solution being rendered.

“I feel like we are not doing justice to the residents’ concerns. I foresee a situation where we will discuss this matter until our terms come to an end in five years’ time. Every time we discuss this matter we do not reach any conclusion on what we should do.

“We cannot go for five consecutive meetings, raising the same issue and nothing coming out of the discussion. Last time I suggested that we possibly have time frames on how we deal with problems raised here in council chambers, I have bills from people in Pumula East who are paying as much as US$200 yet they can go over two months without water. We do not know whether this is sabotage or incompetence within the finance department,” said Clr Madzana.

Ward Nine councillor, Donaldson Mabutho said it was mind boggling that some residents went for over a month without water supplies but their bills kept on increasing.

“In this 120-hour water shedding schedule, which we introduced as council, residents are receiving water four days a month, some twice, some once and some are not receiving any supplies at all but the question that arises is that the bill doesn’t change, water is not being consumed daily but bills are increasing

“Whether it’s our systems, whether it’s human error, we need to find out what is happening before we start pointing fingers, if in the next council we have a similar problem then we have a serious problem,” he said.

Ward 6 Councillor, Nkosilathi Hove-Mpofu, said the local authority risked facing legal action from residents regarding the high bills.

The city’s Mayor, Clr David Coltart said during their strategic planning retreat in Gweru last year, the issue of high bills was debated extensively where it was discovered that most of the cases that were investigated were found to be people who were in arrears.

“We must also show compassion and understanding, in my view, regarding these charges, particularly to water because some residents were in arrears but in the context of what is prevailing regarding water we need to have a close look at those charges, if people did not have water for weeks, that is something that could irk residents and I have enormous sympathy for them,” said Clr Coltart.