GWERU residents have expressed concern over council’s decision to set debt collectors on defaulting ratepayers.
Last week, mayor Martin Chivhoko said council was in the process of engaging a debt collector to recover more than ZWL$70 billion owed by residents.
“We could do a lot to improve service delivery, hence the need to engage a debt collector to force defaulters to settle their debts,” he said.
Chivhoko said as of December 2023, council was owed ZWL$71 billion, up from ZWL$54 billion in October.
He said businesses owed the local authority ZLW$37 billion, residents ZWL$26 billion, while government departments owed ZWL$7,7 billion.
Many residents expressed reservations on the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) WhatsApp platform saying legal action was not the best solution.
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A resident, identified only as Shumba, said: “Over the years, it has been proven that unleashing debt collectors on residents does not guarantee recovery of the money owed.
“Instead, council made formal engagements over the debt issue and came up with a win-win solution.”
Another resident, one Mercy, accused the council of targeting “poor residents” and being lenient with big businesses and government departments.
But one Blessing said people should pay their bills for them to get the services they expect from the council.
“Council can even use the money collected to buy water treatment chemicals, repair and replace obsolete equipment, among other deliverables,” they said.
GRRA director Cornelia Selipiwe also believes the debt collection route is not the solution.
“Yes, we have always encouraged residents to pay even the little that they can but in the long run payment plans should be priorities in settling bills,” he said.