Government departments and ratepayers in the Matabeleland South capital owe the Gwanda Municipality about US$1.6 million for water and other services. Gwanda Mayor, Lionel De Necker told The Zimbabwean that the failure by the government departments and ratepayers in Gwanda to settle the arrears has forced that local authority to suspend areas of service delivery like refuse removal, sewerage rehabilitation, replacement of water infrastructure and public lighting.
“As of January this year, rate payers including government departments, residents, and other companies owe the council about US$500 000 for other services and with the water debt rate payers owe the council a total of over US$1,5m. “This is seriously impacting the council’s service delivery, considering that this money is what would enable the council to deliver,” De Necker said in an interview. According to the Gwanda Mayor, the Gwanda Council has since engaged debt collectors to collect the outstanding arrears from the ratepayers and
government departments.
“We are working flat out as a council to try and lobby the rate payers to own up to their debts. This is the only way we think can encourage them to pay and I challenge them to do so.
“The other way we try and recover the debts from rate payers is through assigning our own debt collectors, said De Necker.
Post published in: Economy