Bulawayo (New Ziana)-The Bulawayo City Council on Saturday honoured its top 100 rate payers who have been paying their bills on time.
Some of the top clients who were recognized for religiously paying their bills on time include OK Zimbabwe, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Masiyephambili Secondary School, the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), the Forestry Commission and the Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Others include Dairiboard Zimbabwe, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the Rainbow Towers Hotel, Lobels Bread, Ingwebu, the Zimbabwe Grain Bag, National Foods and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company.
They were all awarded certificates for their efforts.
Speaking at the breakfast meeting held in the city, deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube said the local authority was committed to improving the lives of its stakeholders through providing quality service.
“The council is keen on improving standards in municipal service delivery in line with our vision of being a smart transformative city by 2024,” he said.
Ncube paid tribute to the top corporate clients for consistently paying their bills at a time when most residents and institutions were neglecting to do so.
The local authority is owed more than $31,4 billion by residents and other ratepayers including the government.
“Your determination and urge to go an extra mile in the payment of bills is appreciated and allows Bulawayo to stay afloat even during these difficult times. I applaud your diligence and resolve to be a key player in the financial sustainability of the city of Bulawayo,” he said.
The deputy mayor also expressed concern at the deteriorating water situation in the city which has seen some residents going for more than three weeks without the precious liquid.
He said the frequent power outages had seen the city’s water supply dropping from the early March 2023 system input volume of 120 megalitres per day to between 40 and 50megalitres per day.
Speaking at the same occasion, ZITF chief executive officer Nicholas Ndebele urged corporates to timeously pay their bills to enable the council to deliver quality services.
“It is important that we pay our bills on time to ensure our council can deliver quality service. For those in arrears I urge you to update your accounts,” he said.
New Ziana
