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Mr Chideme

Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
More than 85 000 properties have not paid a cent in rates to the cash-strapped Harare City Council since dollarisation in 2013 resulting in debts owed to council ballooning to more than $600 million.

Harare has 265 000 properties registered in its database.

As part of the city’s efforts to improve revenue collection, Harare is using the Geographic Information System (GIS) to capture more properties for billing.

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When council started the project in May 2015, the rates database had about 177 000 properties, but now the rates database now has 265 000 properties.

City acting corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme said residents alone now owe council in excess of $249 million while it owes its workers almost six months’ salary worth over $20 million.

“Commercial properties owe $245 million, industry $44,7 million and Government $20,8 million. Ambulance fees and leases account for $44 million,” he said.

He said in a bid to improve revenue collection, the city had acquired 25 Hyundai 110i vehicles for revenue collection purposes in a three-year credit facility.

“The vehicles were bought through a public tender. Each of the vehicles cost US$24 116. The lowest bid was awarded. Previously, council hired vehicles for revenue collection but that proved to be unsustainable and expensive,” he said.

“We have also tendered for various pieces of equipment for road maintenance. Our existing fleet across the board is now old and making it difficult for us to discharge our service delivery mandate. We will, from time to time, renew our fleet in line with our vision of becoming a world class city by 2025.”

The city says the vehicles will be deployed to various districts in line with its decentralisation programme as it seeks to recover debts from residents, Government and business.

Mr Chideme said this week council will award a tender for the purchase of another 17 service delivery one-tonne trucks.

Acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube last month said management had put in place strategies to accelerate revenue collection in order to close on the salary gap.

Mrs Ncube said emphasis was being put on revenue collection and heads of departments were putting together various strategies to ensure success in this regard.

Harare City Council workers, who are in six months’ salary arrears, urged Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to intervene, accusing the city of infringing upon their rights.

Harare City Council last year served about 20 000 defaulters with summons to attach properties, as it moved to recover money owed in unpaid bills by residents.

The summons were served on households in Borrowdale, Mabvuku, Mt Pleasant, Highlands, Mabelreign, Marlborough and other suburbs.