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Yeukai Karengezeka-Herald Correspondent
Chitungwiza residents are up in arms against the municipality for its failure to ensure they acquire title deeds as they are still charging them for services not rendered.
Although title deeds are issued by the Deeds Office, the beneficiary must possess a clearance certificate that comes from the local authority and also from Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).
Most residents, despite buying the stands and houses over four decades ago, do not have title deeds yet.
This is mainly due to outstanding arrears accrued over the years emanating from being charged for services that they do not receive, especially tap water.
Chitungwiza Old Peoples Association coordinator Mr Paddington Chaparadza said the council was being unfair to residents.
“It is quite sad that most of our elderly people do not have title deeds to the houses they bought a long time ago,” said Mr Chaparadza.
“We have some areas for example in Unit A -Maruza and Chikwanha who last received tap water in 2012 yet they were being billed for that.”
Mr Chaparadza said council should just clear those bills so that residents do not face hurdles to get clearance certificates.
He bemoaned the operations of the local authority, saying that it was charging residents for fire services yet they did not have a functioning fire brigade vehicle.
Residents were paying double as the council was depending on Harare for the same service and clients would pay directly to the Harare City Council after receiving the service.
Chitungwiza Municipality spokesperson Mr Lovemore Meya refuted allegations.
“These people never came to us with that issue. We advise them to approach us on a case-to-case basis and not as a group,” he said. “We do not issue title deeds but we encourage residents to come and get a rates clearance certificate which they take to the deeds office at Makombe Building.”
Online Reporter