KWEKWE — Residents are up in arms against the local authority after they received astronomical water bills, which they said were based on estimates.
Council finance committee chairperson Queenly Chitopo admitted there was a problem in her department, but blamed it on incompetent meter readers.
“Some of them cannot read meters so they end up just writing figures from their head,” she said.
“These guys were employed during the era of a Zanu PF-led council and were given jobs based on their political affiliation and not their competences; this is why we have that problem.”
Some residents said they had received bills of over $50 instead of the $15 they are normally charged per month.
Blessing Mugabiri of 267A Mbizo 6 said he was shocked to receive a bill indicating he had consumed 67 kilolitres, a quantity equivalent to 67 drums of water, in November alone.
He said he was hardly at home during that month. “I made a follow-up with council and discovered the entire meter reading schedule for my water consumption history was in shambles.
“The figures were going up then down then up again.
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“For instance, in March my meter was reading 37 then the following month it was down to 26.
“In September it was on 94 then in November it was down to 41. How is that possible?” Mugabiri said.
