Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba
Gweru City Council (GCC) has recovered over ZWG60 million from residents and ratepayers following a revenue collection blitz.
GCC launched a revenue collection blitz aimed at recovering over ZWG500 million owed by residents and ratepayers as of January 2025.
The financially constrained local authority is hoping that the debt recovery exercise will ease its financial burden and stimulate operations.
In the past, the council has engaged debt collectors, imposed interest charges on outstanding arrears, and resorted to property attachments to compel defaulters to pay.
In an interview, GCC Assistant Finance Director, Mr Owen Masimba, said the revenue collection blitz has been fairly effective, considering the short time it has been running.
“As of April 30, 2025, the local authority was owed ZWL565 million, but through the blitz, we have already recovered ZWL60,23 million in cash.
“This recovery rate, in such a short space of time, shows that the blitz has started yielding positive returns and reaffirmed our belief that when people are informed and engaged, they respond,” he said.
Mr Masimba said to maximise debt recovery during the blitz, they employed a multi-pronged strategy that included door-to-door delivery of demand letters, summons, and write property attachment and auction notices.
“We also employed water disconnections and withdrawal of other services, closure orders, demolition orders for non-compliant structures. We accepted flexible payment plans to assist struggling ratepayers and the active involvement of enforcement teams from departments like Housing and Health. These strategies combined legal compliance with empathy, targeting both recovery and citizen awareness,” he said.
Mr Masimba added that the blitz has fostered a positive behavioural shift among residents, adding that they also collected over US$22 000 and ZWL232 000 through housing market enforcement and licensing blitzes.
On a negative note, he said they faced some resistance from a few wayward individuals spreading misinformation about the blitz.
“Many are beginning to appreciate that we are what we create — better services depend on better compliance. There is now growing ownership of city development.
“However, a small minority have resisted, spreading falsehoods, such as claims that the council does not accept payment plans, which is not true. We continue to encourage these individuals to come forward and engage,” he said.
To maintain the spirit of clearing debts among ratepayers, Mr Masimba said the council will continue rolling out flexible payment plans tailored to different levels of affordability.
He said the plans allow residents and businesses to gradually clear their debts without facing immediate penalties.
“We also offer engagement platforms through our revenue officers and ward councillors who help mediate and explain options,” he explained.
Mr Masimba said GCC is very sensitive to the plight of the vulnerable, noting that their goal is not to punish but to collect what is due in a humane way.
“We prioritise engagement and payment plans first. Only after multiple failed attempts do we escalate to property attachment,” he said.
