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John Murwira Mash West correspondent
CHINHOYI Municipality has urged business people and companies to pay their licence fees or risk paying hefty fines or having their businesses closed. Addressing a council and business stakeholders meeting here recently, council spokesperson Mr Tichaona Mlauzi urged businesses to pay their licence fees.

“We have decided to first engage the local business people who are property owners to make sure all those who are operating without licences to renew their licences and all those who have arrears to clear their dues,” he said. Business people present during the meeting, however, raised several concerns.

“We have complained that there are some business people who are operating without paying their licence fees and competing with those that are paid up,” said one businessman.

“Prior allegations were that some council police are taking bribes from unlicensed business operators to allow them to continue to operate at the expense of those that are paid up.” Mr Mlauzi urged property owners to upgrade their structures .

“Property owners are also urged to upgrade their buildings, paint them and those that do not risk being fined,” he said. Mr Mlauzi said that council was also encouraging people to make sure they keep their working environment clean. We urge you to make sure you maintain your working environments clean by saying no to litter,” he said Mr Mlauzi said council had decided to engage the community to make sure they managed waste properly. We are coming into wards to form waste management clubs, so we urge people to cooperate as we want to maintain our city clean,” he said. Chinhoyi Municipality is targeting to acquire city status by December 2018.