adminMasvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO City Council is planning to introduce a special levy to raise money to buy a refuse truck.
Residents are however, resisting the move saying council should find other ways of raising the money instead of overburdening them as most of them are struggling to pay council bills for water and other service charges.
The council also wants to phase out street cleaners and replace them with health clubs that will be paid very little allowances compared to what is being paid to the street cleaners.
According to latest council minutes, the local authority is planning to introduce $2 monthly levy per household to raise money to buy the refuse truck.
Council is operating without a single refuse truck after its fleet of vehicles was attached by the Deputy Sheriff over a $3,5 million debt accrued as salary arrears. The council workers were awarded an increment through arbitration in 2012 but council did not effect the increase.
The attached vehicles include the Mayor’s official Mercedes Benz, refuse collection trucks, graders, among others.
The attached property is yet to be auctioned because council has applied for a stay of execution at the High Court.
“It was suggested that council should explore the possibility of introducing a special levy for the procurement of a new refuse removal truck and also that Health Clubs be authorised to clean their wards and get nominal allowances. The council will remove street cleaners in such areas where these clubs will be active,” reads part of the council report.
Masvingo United Ratepayers and Residents Association (MURRA) coordinator, Anotida Muguti said residents were opposed to the new levy because they were already struggling to pay council bills.
Muguti said council was being insensitive to residents’ plight by resorting to special levies given that most residents were in arrears for water bills and other service charges.
“Yes, we’ve seen the report in question. On behalf of residents I don’t think we should be punished for council’s mismanagement. They could have resolved their standoff with workers and avoided the attachment of council property. If they had listened to advice from residents, all the problems the council is facing woudn’t be there. The refuse collection trucks would be there today,” said Muguti.
He said last year residents were made to pay another special levy to fund a Zesa power line to the sewer system which is yet to be completed.
“We can’t keep on paying for the council’s incompetence,” he said.
The Town Clerk, Adolf Gusha confirmed that council was considering introducing a special levy to raise money to buy a refuse truck.
He however, was quick to point that council was likely to drop the idea given the prevailing economic situation.
“I can confirm that we discussed the levy issue and it’s in our latest report. However, we’re already planning to change that. We’re now considering borrowing a refuse collection truck from somewhere and that’s how we’ve been operating as council ever since our property was attached,” he said.
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