MASVINGO CITY COUNCIL UNLEASHES DEBT COLLECTORS ON DEFAULTING RESIDENTS

ANGRY Masvingo residents have said the local authority should start by attaching property at government institutions if the local authority moves ahead with its plans to engage debt collectors by end of this month. The local authority has issued a notice to residents that they should settle their bills by end of January or risk having their properties attached by debt collectors. Council has indicated that residents and government institutions now owe the local authority in excess of $30m in unpaid bills, a situation that has heavily affected service delivery in a city with a population of over 100 000 residents. Barely a year after Minister of Local Government Ignatious Chombo ordered local authorities to scrap all bills they were owed by residents the move seems to have worsened the situation as residents are now turning a blind eye on their water bills. Mayor Hubert Fidze said so dire was the situation that council is now left with no option but to engage debt collectors to recover outstanding amounts. "We are heavily affected as we have not been able to carry out some of our intended projects. "We have had to concentrate our efforts on the water issue, which as you know, is problematic but all the progress is being hampered by non-payment of bills," Fidze said. However residents have expressed disappointment at the council move saying if the local authority goes ahead with its intentions, they should first attach government properties. "We are surviving under harsh economic conditions and despite that we have payment plans with council on how we pay our bills, at least we are contributing something to council coffers, yet the government institutions are not forwarding a single cent and they have never had the water supplies cut. "They should start by attaching property at the army barracks, police and other government institutions before coming to residential areas," fumed Gerald Maphosa a resident in the high density of Mucheke. Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association Programmes Officer Anoziva Muguti blasted the council's decision to unleash debt collectors on residents whom he said were not consulted. "The city council has shown us that they don't believe in dialogue. They never engaged us as residents to air their views concerning the issue of non-payment of bills. From my understanding residents are willing to abide to set payment plans; debt collectors should be directed to government institutions instead, " Muguti said.