adminTemba Dube Senior Reporter
THE Government has instructed local authorities to clearly spell out to residents, how they have effected the directive to write off bills accumulated in the last four years.Residents, especially in Bulawayo, have been complaining that the Bulawayo City Council has not been clear on how the order has been implemented, with some alleging that bills were not being totally cancelled.
In an interview yesterday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Mr Killian Mupingo, said local authorities should utilise their public relations departments to disseminate the information to residents.
“We have asked the local authorities to clearly spell out to residents how they have effected the directive. Residents should have nothing owing as of 1 July this year. Residents should not be in the dark about what has happened with their bills. No one should be speculating or wondering what happened.
“This is purely a public relations matter to maintain harmony between the local authorities and residents. Contact the PA (Mrs Khonzani Ncube Bulawayo Provincial Administrator) she has the details of the instruction,” said Mr Mupingo.
A comment could not be obtained from Mrs Ncube, who chairs the committee responsible for monitoring implementation of the directive in Bulawayo.
She promised to comment after 10 minutes when she was called by Chronicle, but was later unreachable on her mobile number, while her office landline phone rang without being answered.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo residents in the western suburbs yesterday said it was still unclear whether council had totally written off their debts as they were yet to receive bills, since the promulgation of the directive, just before the elections.
“We have tried to ask meter readers and they seem clueless. I called council yesterday morning and the person I talked to could not answer directly, whether my bill had been cancelled. In the end I gaveup,” said a Gwabalanda resident.
The local authority had reportedly interpreted the directive to mean charges related to water would not be cancelled.
However, following a meeting with Mrs Ncube on Friday, the record was set straight and council resolved to write off everything.
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.
The directive 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 said the directive was irreversible and it was not a political campaign gimmick as alleged by other people.
Local authorities that include Harare, Chitungwiza and Masvingo have already implemented the directive.
Residents have called on Government to extend the directive to cover Zesa and TelOne bills.
Online Reporter