adminMidlands Correspondent
Gweru City Council has embarked on a massive water disconnection exercise on defaulting residential properties in open defiance of a directive issued by Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo to all local authorities to write-off residents’ water and rates bills.
Dr Chombo on Monday announced that all the 92 rural and urban councils should, with immediate effect, write off debts accrued by residents in rates and other bills between February 2009 and 30 June this year.
The massive water disconnections on defaulting residents’ properties was carried out yesterday and on Tuesday in almost all the city’s suburbs. Chronicle’s Gweru Office was yesterday besieged by residents who expressed disappointment over the continued water disconnections by the city council despite the Government directive.
They demanded to know why the city council was defying Minister Chombo’s directive.
“I am surprised that the Gweru city council has launched an onslaught on residents, disconnecting water at almost every household whose account is not up to date. This is in open defiance to the directive issued by Government that councils should write off our debts. Almost everyone has been affected after the city council employees descended on our houses,” said Mr Lovemore Gumbo from Southdowns Suburb.
Another resident from Mtapa suburb who requested anonymity said he was told that the directive by the Government to write off debts was just politicking gimmick.
“I am totally confused because I owe the city council only $50 but they came and disconnected water at my house today (yesterday). I visited the Town House to enquire about the development and a council official told me that that the directive was a mere newspaper article and the utterances were just politics,” said the resident.
Mrs Laina Makope from Mtapa suburb said the city council employees’ behaviour was confusing. She appealed to the Government to speedily intervene and have water restored to the affected households.
“The very day we learnt in the press about the Government directive ordering councils to write off debts was the same day city council employees descended on our area, disconnecting water,” she said. Mrs Makope said there could be a disease outbreak in the area because the majority of them were affected.
Contacted for comment, Gweru City Council Director of Finance, Mr Edgar Mwedzi confirmed the water disconnections.
He said the water disconnection was an on-going exercise meant to ensure that defaulters service their accounts.
Mr Mwedzi said the council would only stop the disconnections after receiving the Government directive to write off residents’ debts in writing.
“As per our policy, we are guided by formal communication which is normally in written form not newspaper articles,” he said.
Mr Mwedzi said the Gweru city council was owed more than $20 million in unpaid bills and rates by its residents.
“What it means is that as council, we also owe our service providers millions of dollars because we rely on ratepayers’ money to service our accounts. How can we pay our service providers when we are not paid by residents?
The directive to write-off the residents’ debts means we will not be able to meet our financial obligations,” he said.
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