adminGeorge Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Masvingo Rural District council has announced plans to engage debt collectors to recover more than $500 000 owed by ratepayers, amid concerns over continued revenue pilferage at the local authority.
Council’s revenue performance in the current financial year was between 75 and 80 percent, but the local authority wants to increase its revenue inflows in 2018. Masvingo RDC chief executive Mr Martin Mubviro said they were owed about $500 000 by ratepayers.
“We have already engaged debt collectors to recover our money from the ratepayers whose debts are more than six months old. Going forward into 2018, I think engaging debt collectors to recover our money from ratepayers is the only way we can further improve revenue inflows into our coffers. Our revenue performance for 2017 was not very bad, but we want to improve it next year,” he said.
Masvingo RDC has lined up a number of capital projects in the current year, with emphasis being put on rehabilitating the battered road network throughout the district. A major road network upgrade exercise is also underway at the district commercial capital, Nemanwa, but work has not yet been completed owing to funding challenges.
Council wants to improve revenue inflows to complete several outstanding infrastructural projects in the district, while loss-making ventures such as beer halls have since been shed off to reduce revenue leakage.
The local authority has announced plans to lease out its loss making beer halls at rural service centres such as Sipambi, Muchakata, Nyikavanhu and Nemanwa as a cost-cutting measure.
Online Reporter