The City Council has not been able to pay its workers on time since January, resulting in a go-slow.
According to Council, its financial situation has been aggravated by the failure of Government to approve its supplementary budget on time. Local authorities cannot increase rates without the approval of central government.
The Council, run by the MDC (Mutambara), has set March 31 as the deadline for affected residents to construct buildings at their allocated stands before they are repossessed for resale.
The council hereby notifies you to finish construction at your stand on or before 31 March, failure to which the stands will be repossessed and resold at a higher price, read part of a letter of notice to one of the residents in Mahatshula, a low-density suburb. The letter was signed by the Acting Town Clerk, Gilbert Dube.
Phathisa Nyathi, the BCC spokesperson, yesterday confirmed the local authority will repossess undeveloped stands for resale to raise funds to pay workers.
The council does not have money at the moment and has been failing to pay workers on time. The undeveloped stands were sold to residents eight years ago at a paltry Z$50,000 each.
The council will, after the elapse of the deadline, repossess the stands and resell them for Z$100bn each to raise funds to meet urgent needs of the council like paying workers on time, said Nyathi in a telephone interview.
Critics say Government has delayed approving budgets in a bid to cripple opposition-run councils so that it can boot them out of office on charges of failure to provide efficient services.
Post published in: News