Mudzi RDC owed US$1.6m ….. sets debt recovery measures

MARONDERA- The rural council of Mudzi is owed $US1 603 386.45 by farmers,
businesses, residents and other ratepayers.
In a recent interview, chief executive officer Victor Nyamutswa said that failure by
debtors to honour their financial obligations was making it difficult for the local
authority to efficiently deliver services.
He said: “As a council, we are owed more than US$1 million by the residents in both
the communal areas and at business centres, the business community, farmers and
other ratepayers who get services from us from time to time.
“Some people’s, business entities and farmers’ failure to pay their debts or time or
neglecting paying totally has negative effects on our operations. We want them to
continuously get efficient services but we cannot be in a position to provide that if our
financial resources are restricted.”
Nyamutswa added that the local authority has since introduced incentives that trigger
debtors’ interest to honour their bills and intensified measures to recover what it is
owed.
He said: “We are a rural council and mostly, we rely on rates for our day to day
activities. Yes, we receive devolution funds from the central Government but there
are other things that need to be attended to using money from other channels.
“For us to be in a position to lure people in settling their debts, we introduced
discounts for those who come forward to pay. We are also making aggressive follow-
ups on them while we resort to litigation as a last resort.”