Gweru disconnects water supplies

Cash-strapped Gweru City Council has started disconnecting water supplies in several suburbs across the city as the local authority intensifies the crackdown on defaulters owing over $20 billion.

The current exercise is targeting 12 182 households that owe the council $20,2 billion as of January 31.

The local authority is struggling to meet its financial obligations as a result of declining revenue inflows as most ratepayers are not paying their bills.

Gweru City Council said some residents last paid rates 10 years ago.

Over the years, the local authority has been struggling to pay its workers on time.

It is also failing to collect refuse on time, including providing water to residents due to a depressed pumping capacity at the obsolete Gwenhoro Water Treatment Plant.

In an interview, Gweru Mayor Councillor Martin Chivhoko said the debtor’s book is now at $79,4 billion up from $70 billion in December.

“Yes, council has embarked on a water disconnection exercise and this is in line with the President’s call to action that we should improve service delivery. We need to ensure that we collect revenue so that we transform the city and be able to deliver service to residents,” he said.

“We are implementing a plethora of measures in a bid to mop all that can be mopped into the granary for a subsequent push into our service delivery value chain. The total amount owed as of January 2024 stands at $79,4 billion.”

Clr Chivhoko said the current exercise is targeting 12 182 properties.

“These are clients that have persistently neglected or refused to pay and have not shown commitment to honour previous payment plans. We are not stopping there, but we will carry the recovery process up to its conclusion in terms of the law,” he said.

Clr Chivhoko said there are over 48 000 properties in Gweru including in the peri-urban areas.

“Within the city’s boundaries we have 39 610 properties and if we include the peri-urban developments that draw services from Gweru, the figure goes to 48 540,” he said.