Harare, (New Ziana) -The Harare City Council has urged residents to settle their municipal bills to enable it to provide them with essential services.
Ward 17 councilor Happymore Gotora made the call during a community feedback session held on Saturday. The engagement, part of ongoing efforts to promote transparency and accountability, brought together residents and city officials to discuss service delivery and council performance.
As part of his feedback, Gotora explained the city’s strategy to address critical issues such as water shortages, road damage, power cuts, and waste collection.
He said the City of Harare has introduced three special levies, which now appear as separate line items on monthly bills.
The levies are meant to repay the USD 98 million loan that the city got from the China-Exim Bank for water infrastructure development, equip the emergency services, as well as fund the installation and rehabilitation of street lights to enhance public safety.
Gotora stressed the importance of timely payments, noting that hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid bills from properties in the Northern districts were hampering the city’s ability to function properly.
“Timely payment of bills enables the City to generate revenue, which is critical for delivering essential services such as water, sanitation, and road maintenance,” he said.
“When residents pay their bills, they contribute to the City’s ability to maintain and upgrade infrastructure, ultimately benefiting the community as a whole.” He added that reducing the City’s debt burden would free up more resources for development projects.
On water supply challenges in his ward, Gotora cited aging infrastructure, rapid urban growth, and climate change as major contributing factors.
He assured residents that the City is working to rehabilitate old water systems and explore alternative water sources. Gotora also highlighted improvements in other service areas, stating that most areas within the ward are receiving weekly refuse collections while road maintenance, including tarring, patching and drainage clearing are going on despite significant financial and logistical hurdles.
New Ziana
