Council’s financial woes mount

Innocent Ruwende
Harare City Council’s financial woes are mounting, with most statutory bodies owed millions of dollars by the local authority now threatening to attach the city’s properties. The city owes its creditors more than $440 million and recently the Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society (HMMAS) got an order to attach the city’s property over a $7 million debt. The city has now been forced into making weekly payment plans with most of the institutions and is now paying the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) $500 000, National Social Security Authority (NSSA) $200 000, Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) $25 000, Tragic Security $25 000, ZADA Construction $30 000, HMMAS $200 000, Zesa $130 000 and $300 000 to various companies which supply water chemicals. The city is collecting between $12 million and $13 million per month against a budget of $24 million.