News / Local
BCC sends 'inflated' rental, water bills
13 Apr 2012 at 04:41hrs | Views
RESIDENTS of Emganwini's Millennium housing scheme have accused the Bulawayo City Council of sending them inflated rental and water bills.
About 150 families are accommodated by the city council in the Millennium housing scheme.
The residents, some of them former residents of Sidojiwe Hostels in the Belmont industrial area, were supposed to pay $42 per month for the three-roomed houses.
As of now, most of the residents owe the council more than $1 000 and some are said not to have paid anything to the council since 2009.
An angry resident, Mr Lameck Musiiwa, told Chronicle that they have been getting the unmanageable bills since the introduction of the multi-currency system.
"We have been staying in the three-roomed houses being let out by the council at very affordable rates but with the coming of the US dollar almost every resident of Millennium owes the city council more than $1 000 for both water and rent charges," said Mr Musiiwa dangling his bill of $1 270,99.
"We fail to understand how the bills get to that much when every household pays a fixed rent of $42. I earn $249 at work so how am I supposed to clear this bill that always accumulates interest every month?" he asked.
Another resident who preferred anonymity added: "We thought our city fathers built these houses because they were trying to offer affordable accommodation to low income earners after Operation Murambatsvina but it is now more expensive to stay in these houses than in the low density suburbs."
The resident said that they wrote a letter to their councillor, but they did not receive any response.
"The Millennium Residents Committee wrote a letter to Councillor Norman Hlabani, which we sent through our area representative but we never got any feedback. Now we do not know who to turn to. It is stressing us and we cannot concentrate on other business with these huge debts on the back of our minds," said the resident.
Contacted for comment, Clr Hlabani said: "I am aware of the situation and I also personally wrote a letter to the town clerk presenting the grievances of my people and the only answer I got from the city council was that those houses were built to bring in revenue and the bills vary from one family to the other depending on how they paid."
The Bulawayo City Council's senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said she was not aware of the issue.
"Efforts will be made to look into the issue with immediate effect," said Mrs Mpofu.
About 150 families are accommodated by the city council in the Millennium housing scheme.
The residents, some of them former residents of Sidojiwe Hostels in the Belmont industrial area, were supposed to pay $42 per month for the three-roomed houses.
As of now, most of the residents owe the council more than $1 000 and some are said not to have paid anything to the council since 2009.
An angry resident, Mr Lameck Musiiwa, told Chronicle that they have been getting the unmanageable bills since the introduction of the multi-currency system.
"We have been staying in the three-roomed houses being let out by the council at very affordable rates but with the coming of the US dollar almost every resident of Millennium owes the city council more than $1 000 for both water and rent charges," said Mr Musiiwa dangling his bill of $1 270,99.
"We fail to understand how the bills get to that much when every household pays a fixed rent of $42. I earn $249 at work so how am I supposed to clear this bill that always accumulates interest every month?" he asked.
Another resident who preferred anonymity added: "We thought our city fathers built these houses because they were trying to offer affordable accommodation to low income earners after Operation Murambatsvina but it is now more expensive to stay in these houses than in the low density suburbs."
The resident said that they wrote a letter to their councillor, but they did not receive any response.
"The Millennium Residents Committee wrote a letter to Councillor Norman Hlabani, which we sent through our area representative but we never got any feedback. Now we do not know who to turn to. It is stressing us and we cannot concentrate on other business with these huge debts on the back of our minds," said the resident.
Contacted for comment, Clr Hlabani said: "I am aware of the situation and I also personally wrote a letter to the town clerk presenting the grievances of my people and the only answer I got from the city council was that those houses were built to bring in revenue and the bills vary from one family to the other depending on how they paid."
The Bulawayo City Council's senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said she was not aware of the issue.
"Efforts will be made to look into the issue with immediate effect," said Mrs Mpofu.
Source - chronicle
