News / Local
BCC rewards 8,000 loyal ratepayers
22 Feb 2016 at 05:39hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has started rewarding ratepayers who did not benefit from the government's 2013 directive to write-off debts by crediting each ratepayer's account with $100. Last year, council resolved that a total of 8,667 accounts that were paid up would benefit from the scheme in recognition of their efforts to keep the city afloat.
BCC acting town clerk Sikhangele Zhou yesterday said the local authority had started crediting each ratepayer's account with $100. "We've started implementing the writing-off of debts by crediting each ratepayer's account with $100 as part of our gesture to recognise their efforts in keeping the city running.
"The ratepayers have to approach the revenue hall when paying. Their accounts can be credited as they pay," she said. According to BCC, more than 8,000 ratepayers did not benefit from the government's July 2013 directive as they were up to date with their payments and the municipality has decided to reward them.
The government ordered local authorities countrywide to write off all domestic debts that were outstanding as at June 2013.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents' Association advocacy and programmes manager Emmanuel Ndlovu said:
"We welcome the move that BCC has finally taken. I think it was long overdue. However, the development shouldn't take our eyes away from real service delivery issues. We still expect the City Council to offer service delivery which is above board and meeting residents' expectations."
"It's also our hope that BCC has installed internal mechanisms that will make sure that no ratepayers will benefit twice from the $100 credits. For example, it's our hope that their system will not have loopholes where City Council employees and their relatives can benefit more than once from the credits."
The approach by BCC was similar to what Zesa and TelOne adopted when they passed debt relief of $160 per household while electricity consumers on prepaid meters had their amortised outstanding debts adjusted.
In the past, residents associations complained over arrears caused by unjustified increases in rates and bills.
BCC acting town clerk Sikhangele Zhou yesterday said the local authority had started crediting each ratepayer's account with $100. "We've started implementing the writing-off of debts by crediting each ratepayer's account with $100 as part of our gesture to recognise their efforts in keeping the city running.
"The ratepayers have to approach the revenue hall when paying. Their accounts can be credited as they pay," she said. According to BCC, more than 8,000 ratepayers did not benefit from the government's July 2013 directive as they were up to date with their payments and the municipality has decided to reward them.
The government ordered local authorities countrywide to write off all domestic debts that were outstanding as at June 2013.
"We welcome the move that BCC has finally taken. I think it was long overdue. However, the development shouldn't take our eyes away from real service delivery issues. We still expect the City Council to offer service delivery which is above board and meeting residents' expectations."
"It's also our hope that BCC has installed internal mechanisms that will make sure that no ratepayers will benefit twice from the $100 credits. For example, it's our hope that their system will not have loopholes where City Council employees and their relatives can benefit more than once from the credits."
The approach by BCC was similar to what Zesa and TelOne adopted when they passed debt relief of $160 per household while electricity consumers on prepaid meters had their amortised outstanding debts adjusted.
In the past, residents associations complained over arrears caused by unjustified increases in rates and bills.
Source - chronicle
