MARONDERA- The Municipality of Marondera which is owed vast sums of money
by residents, the business community and other ratepayers has instituted a raft of
measures to recover what it is owed.
According to the provincial capital’s public relations officer Kudakwashe
Tapfumaneyi, the council is owed ZWL$3 billion.
In an interview with Chaminuka News, he said: “Council is owed about ZWL$3 billion
by residents, corporates and ratepayers. In a bid to recover what is owed to us, we
have since instituted a raft of measures that we hope will boost our efforts to have all
debts settled.
“You may want to know that through its debt collection office, the Council has been
issuing overdue reminders to debtors to remind them to service their accounts. We
do this on a regular basis as we are cognizant of the economic or other challenges
that might be faced by our residents and ratepayers. Debtors are also encouraged to
enter into payment plan arrangements with the debt collection office in order to pay
off their debts.
“On another note, Council enforces the closure of operations for some business
entities that will be in arrears. In instances whereby debtors do not respond to the
mentioned measures, we will seek legal recourse through the issuance of summons
in order to recover the money that council is owed,” he said.
Tapfumaneyi also encouraged regular payment of council rates and fees so that the
local authority can be in a position to provide efficient and consistent service
delivery.
He said: “For our town to continue, we want a win-win situation from every part
concerned. For council to be in a position to provide services as expected, residents
and other ratepayers have to pay their bills on time. There are a lot of areas that
need council’s attention and improvement and without consistent capital from our
stakeholders, it becomes a huge challenge.”
Meanwhile, the Municipality of Marondera owes ZWL$630 million to its creditors,
among them the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), Zimbabwe Electricity
Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) and Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (ZINWA), among others.
