CHITUNGWIZA Municipality is threatening to sue residents with outstanding bills, raising the possibility of selling houses of defaulters to recover the arrears.
BY Albert Masaka
The local authority last week sent warning letters to defaulting ratepayers.
But residents said council’s move showed that it was insensitive to their needs.
They said they were grappling with a serious water crisis and poor service delivery, yet, council was busy trying to find ways to sell their houses instead of regularising thousands of stands, which were enjoying council’s services freely.
Chitungwiza Residents’ Trust (Chitrest) leader, Marvellous Khumalo threatened that residents would boycott paying rates if council goes ahead with the move to sell residents’ houses.
“The poor state of service delivery in Chitungwiza does not justify the local authority to sue defaulting residents. We might be forced, as Chitrest, to call for a massive rates boycott in solidarity with the suffering and targeted residents, whose properties face imminent attachment,” he said.
Chitungwiza Progressive Residents’ Association (CHPRA) called the move high-handed and insensitive, saying it was causing apprehension among the vulnerable members of society, who feared losing their property for failing to pay for services they never received in the first place.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“CHPRA also calls on the municipality to consider the plight of the elderly, the disabled, orphans and vulnerable children, who will be left homeless if it proceeds with its thoughtless action,” CHPRA said.
Mayor, Phillip Mutoti and the town clerk, George Makunde were not reachable yesterday.
