THE Municipality of Chinhoyi has issued a blistering 14-day ultimatum to corporates, institutions and residents to clear their outstanding bills, warning that chronic defaulters will be publicly exposed, blacklisted and taken to court.
The drastic move follows a council resolution passed on May 27 this year.
In a public notice issued this week, Chinhoyi town clerk Biriat Tasarira revealed that the local authority will publish the names of all account holders in arrears in national and local newspapers, as well as on official social media platforms.
“Additional enforcement measures will follow, including blacklisting and legal action,” Tasarira warned, urging affected parties to settle their accounts or negotiate payment plans immediately.
The aggressive debt-collection drive is fuelled by a staggering US$15,9 million owed to council.
“The council is being owed US$15,9 million and that’s a lot of money needed to cushion our operations,” council spokesperson Tichaona Mlauzi told NewsDay.
“We urge all debtors to regularise their accounts and make payment plans.”
However, the “name and shame” strategy has sparked fierce backlash from local residents representatives, who argue that it will backfire and permanently damage relations between council and residents.
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Chinhoyi Residents Association chairperson Tendayi Musonza slammed the resolution arguing that public humiliation will not force residents to pay for collapsing services.
“Naming and shaming does not make residents pay. Council should find a way to make people want to pay, like improving service delivery,” he said.
“The route they are taking will strain relations even more because council is not doing enough. They want residents to pay for non-existent services. It’s a shame.”
Chinhoyi is not alone in its aggressive tactics.
Local authorities across Zimbabwe are battling mounting arrears amid skyrocketing service delivery costs, with an increasing number of municipalities resorting to legal action to force ratepayers to open their wallets.
