WATCH: Gweru, Kwekwe councils owed more than $1 billion

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU and Kwekwe residents in the Midlands province owe the two local authorities more than $1,1 billion in unpaid rates and other services.

The development has seen the two local authorities taking the legal route in a bid to recover the debts to improve on service delivery.

Gweru City Council is owed more than $500 million while Kwekwe City Council is owed more than $663 million by residents, companies and government institutions.

Revenue collected from rates is used by local authorities for projects that include road maintenance, water supply and sewer reticulation management, public lighting, education, health, and general social services and community development, among others.

Unfortunately, the two local authorities are now blaming poor services on failure to pay by residents and others.

Gweru mayor Councillor Josiah Makombe said residents owe council over $296 million while companies, Government institutions and other stakeholders owe the local authority over $290 million.

He said they were forced to engage the services of debt collectors in a bid to recover the money from the defaulting residents.

From Tuesday last week, residents were being issued with letters of final demand.

“We had a stakeholders meeting with all the residents associations and agreed that people should come to council and make some payment plans. All those who were owing council were notified and advised to have payment plans. Some did not even dare to do so. We had agreed to give people a month to do the payment plan and failure to do that council was to proceed with the legal route – the route it has taken,” he said.

Kwekwe mayor Cllr Angeline Kasipo said council is owed more than $663 million.

“Of this total residential debtors are $258 251 115, commerce, industry and Government $405 181 744,” she said.

She said the council is working on ways to ensure that defaulters settle their debts so that to improve service delivery.

“Steps being taken to recover debt include SMS reminders, water disconnections, stakeholder engagement, phone calls, face to face engagement with Government ministries and handing over to lawyers defaulters for debt collection,” said Cllr Kasipo.

“We want to improve service delivery and that is only possible if we have funds and these come in the form of rates and rentals for example and we encourage our debtors to settle so that we are able to provide them with the quality services they deserve.”

Residents across the country have been complaining of the deteriorating standards of service delivery in cities and towns over the years while councils have been bemoaning failure to settle debts by residents and companies.