Ziyah News Network Chief Reporter
Beitbridge- The Municipality of Beitbridge is reeling from nonpayers of its services derailing its efforts to not only provide efficient services but develop the town.
This emerged at the town’s mid-term budget review meeting where it was reported rate payers owe the Council a total of ZiG 54,332,107.97 headlined by commercial and high density residential rate payers who both owe over ZiG 30 million of the total debt due to the local authority.
To highlight the difficulties facing the Municipality due to the unpaid debt, recently the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) switched off water due to a debt of slightly over the ZiG 3.162 million and there was an uproar with fingers pointed at town house but the Council is owed about ZiG 9 million by rate payers in water bills.
Speaking at the meeting, Beitbridge Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola urged the residents to make efforts to pay what is due to council reiterating that going to court will be a last resort they ordinarily do not want to go.
“We do not want to go the route other councils have gone to repossess assets to recover debt, when you look at the Urban Councils Act it allows us to that but we are saying bring what you have to reduce your debt. When it comes to water, we do not just switch off if your debt is reasonable, for high density we do not switch off when owe $70 and below, medium density its $90 and low density $120, he said.
The Town Clerk also made a plea to the Beitbridge business community to avail themselves and partner in developing the town under the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) model towards creating the feel of a town.
“Business people need to come up, respond when we put up an expression of interest, put proposals to us and say I want to partner you, come in where we fall short, you come in put in the infrastructure after you recoup your investments, the structure remains, it is that partnership we are looking for between council and the business community,” he added.
As part of the midterm budget review, council also reported that it had budgeted with devolution funds in mind but that money has not been availed by treasury this year leaving most capital projects planned in limbo as revenue alone is not adequate to sustain capital intensive projects.