News / Local
BCC suspends water cuts for Christmas
24 Dec 2011 at 07:04hrs | Views
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Thaba Moyo, said it would be inhuman on council's part to cut off water supplies during this period of worldwide Christian celebrations.
The local authority sent thousands of disconnection notices to residents in recent weeks, raising the fear that they would spend Christmas without water.
Council, in one of its most widespread disconnection exercises, was cracking down on more than two thirds of its account holders, in a bid to recover $61 million owed by the ratepayers.
Although the extensive water cut-off programme was supposed to be carried out over the holidays, including weekends, Clr Moyo said it would be suspended and only continued after the New Year.
"It is very important for residents to pay their bills in time, to keep the city running. However, it would be inhuman on council's part to cut off supplies during this period of worldwide Christian celebrations. We will therefore suspend the disconnection exercise until next year," said Clr Moyo.
He said it was not the intention of council to disrupt the business that would generate money for ratepayers over the period.
"If we cut off water, business that would normally give people money to settle their bills would come to a standstill. Relatives who would have visited their loved ones from different places would become a burden, without water to flush toilets, instead of being the Christmas blessing we have come to expect every year," he said.
However, Clr Moyo could not explain what council would do about residents who had already been affected by the exercise.
According to the latest council report, council needs to collect $7 million daily to meet its operational costs.
It is struggling to pay salaries and has been blacklisted by a number of its creditors.
The city owes about $36 million to its creditors.
Council had decentralised water disconnections from the Revenue Hall in the city centre to housing offices in the suburbs to increase efficiency.
Residents fiercely resisted the disconnections, with some setting dogs on the water disconnection teams, while others simply kept their gates locked to deny them entry.
The resistance prompted council disconnection teams to move with council security officers for protection.
The Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) likened the exercise to murder.
It argued that residents should be given time to pay and called on the Government to come up with a national strategy to combat piling bills.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association said most residents were failing to pay their bills because council had sent inflated bills when the multiple currency system was introduced in 2009.
It said if council cleared the mess that was generated then, residents would pay.
Council on the other hand invited residents to make payment plans to clear their debts.
Council's senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said a payment plan acceptable to council involved an initial payment of 10 percent of the total outstanding debt, followed thereafter by making monthly payments of current bills in full plus 10 percent of the outstanding debt until the amount is paid in full.
She said defaulting on the agreement would expose the account holder to the ongoing disconnections.
The local authority sent thousands of disconnection notices to residents in recent weeks, raising the fear that they would spend Christmas without water.
Council, in one of its most widespread disconnection exercises, was cracking down on more than two thirds of its account holders, in a bid to recover $61 million owed by the ratepayers.
Although the extensive water cut-off programme was supposed to be carried out over the holidays, including weekends, Clr Moyo said it would be suspended and only continued after the New Year.
"It is very important for residents to pay their bills in time, to keep the city running. However, it would be inhuman on council's part to cut off supplies during this period of worldwide Christian celebrations. We will therefore suspend the disconnection exercise until next year," said Clr Moyo.
He said it was not the intention of council to disrupt the business that would generate money for ratepayers over the period.
"If we cut off water, business that would normally give people money to settle their bills would come to a standstill. Relatives who would have visited their loved ones from different places would become a burden, without water to flush toilets, instead of being the Christmas blessing we have come to expect every year," he said.
However, Clr Moyo could not explain what council would do about residents who had already been affected by the exercise.
It is struggling to pay salaries and has been blacklisted by a number of its creditors.
The city owes about $36 million to its creditors.
Council had decentralised water disconnections from the Revenue Hall in the city centre to housing offices in the suburbs to increase efficiency.
Residents fiercely resisted the disconnections, with some setting dogs on the water disconnection teams, while others simply kept their gates locked to deny them entry.
The resistance prompted council disconnection teams to move with council security officers for protection.
The Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) likened the exercise to murder.
It argued that residents should be given time to pay and called on the Government to come up with a national strategy to combat piling bills.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association said most residents were failing to pay their bills because council had sent inflated bills when the multiple currency system was introduced in 2009.
It said if council cleared the mess that was generated then, residents would pay.
Council on the other hand invited residents to make payment plans to clear their debts.
Council's senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said a payment plan acceptable to council involved an initial payment of 10 percent of the total outstanding debt, followed thereafter by making monthly payments of current bills in full plus 10 percent of the outstanding debt until the amount is paid in full.
She said defaulting on the agreement would expose the account holder to the ongoing disconnections.
Source - TC
