BY RUTENDO MATANHIKE
Kadoma residents have petitioned their municipality to stop plans to increase rates in the proposed supplementary budget which is expected to be presented soon.
The petition, which was handed over to the city’s town clerk, Malvern Dondo on Monday, said increasing rates was not sustainable because most residents were already struggling to pay the current charges due to the harsh economic situation in the country.
“Our petition is premised on the following prevailing socio-economic circumstances: Government as the majority employer has not increased salaries, a large number of ratepayers are the elderly who are either earning pittance or they do not have pension,” the petition reads in part.
The residents also said service delivery was slackening and urged council to engage residents to come up with sustainable solutions to problems being faced by the town.
“Service delivery is wanting in terms of availability of water and sewerage. Roads also need rehabilitation. We call upon the city to engage the residents so as to bring about meaningful progress,” the petition added.
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Last Mbire, who presented the petition on behalf of the residents, told NewsDay that workers have not had a salary increase in a long time.
Dondo confirmed receiving the petition.
“I haven’t had time to look at it. We look at it as an objection rather than a petition because we had started by doing budget consultation which we are waiting to be considered by the council,” Dondo said.
“It is true that we are working on a budget from proposed increases from the supplementary budget meeting, not that we had drafted the budget prior to the meeting.”