BCC to fully write off all debts owed by residents

THE Bulawayo City Council has resolved to fully comply with a Government directive to write off all debts owed by residents from February 2009 to 30 June this year which means residents will not be required to pay anything for all bills for the period covered, including water charges.

In an interview yesterday, after meeting council officials, Bulawayo Provincial Administrator Mrs Khonzani Ncube, said the issue has been resolved amicably.

Mrs Ncube chairs the committee that is in charge of monitoring implementation of the directive in the city.

"With effect from today, we expect council to start  working on the bills and write off all the outstanding money it is owed by residents between February 2009 and 30 June 2013 as per the Government directive.

What this means is that residents owe council nothing as at 30 June this year," said Mrs Ncube.

Council had partially implemented the order, writing off minor charges and leaving those related to water, which form the bulk of what residents owe the local authority.

Council's senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu declined to comment on the development yesterday.

The local authority had reportedly interpreted the directive to mean water charges should not be cancelled.

However, following an outcry from residents, the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo, said every item on the bill should be cancelled.

He said the Government would not hesitate to fire any official or councillor who stopped the directive from being implemented.
On Thursday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Killian Mupingo, warned council against resisting to fully implement the order, saying Government had not issued it blindly.

He advised the council to engage Government if it was facing challenges as a result of the directive.

The directive dated 23 July reads: "It has become apparent that the economy has not been operating optimally and in the process relentlessly unleashing severe hardships on the citizenry. Thus from 2009, ratepayers have not been able to meet their obligations in terms of payment of taxes, rentals, levies and related charges resulting in an enormous and crippling debt burden frustrating the majority of the population.

"Given the above circumstances, all local authorities are in terms of Section 133 of the Rural District Councils Act (Chapter 29:13) as read with Section 303 of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) directed to write off debts in respect of rentals, unit tax, development levies, licences and refuse charges owed by individual ratepayers as at 30 June 2013, in the same vein, money owed by residents for rates, stands prescribed in terms of the Prescription Act (Chapter 8:13) as from February, 2009 to 30 June, 2013," read the directive.

The directive was meant to bring relief to millions of Zimbabweans who have been economically disempowered by illegal sanctions, which the MDC-T invited from its Western sponsors in a bid to force regime change.

Local authorities that include Harare, Chitungwiza and Masvingo have already implemented the directive.

At the time the directive was issued, bill arrears in Harare stood at about $400 million, in Bulawayo residents owed council $100 million, residents owed Mutare City Council $20 million while in Kwekwe, unpaid bills amounted to about $9,5 million.

Residents have urged the Government to direct utilities such as Zesa and TelOne to also write off debts.