Chiredzi Town Council has clashed with the residents’ association after the latter reportedly urged ratepayers to decline paying their bills, thereby prejudicing the local authority of about $5 million monthly in potential revenue.
The move also compromised service delivery in the lowveld town. Chamber secretary Charles Muchatukwa told NewsDay yesterday the residents’ association was throwing spanners in its efforts to provide better service delivery.
“It’s unfortunate that we have a residents association that is fighting council by telling residents not to pay rates to council yet that is the only way council can get money. The same association is making noise that council is not delivering yet they are muzzling the ox while it treads the grain,” Muchatukwa said.
He claimed that the association a fortnight ago had organised a demonstration meant to discredit council management for failing the town, but it failed to take off.
Chairperson of the finance committee Benadette Chipembere said her council had eased the burden on ratepayers by waiving their 2009 bills, but still residents were not co-operating, thus forcing the local authority to cut off water supplies to defaulters.
“We are a pro-poor council, but we have seen that our position is misconstrued by residents and captains of industry. The money we are owed by ratepayers is ever increasing instead of decreasing ,meaning that ratepayers are not accepting the olive branch we have extended to them,” Chipembere said.
But Chiredzi Residents Association chairperson Hosia Revai refuted allegations that the association was decampaigning, destabilising or sabotaging council programmes.
