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Municipal Reporter
A BID by Harare City councillors to force council to exempt them from payment of rates and bills has attracted angry reactions from residents.

Residents feel councillors are chasing luxury at the expense of service delivery.

According to recent minutes of the Human Resources and General Purposes Committee, councillors tasked corporate services and housing director Mrs Josephine Ncube to make a report on a policy proposal for the exemption of Harare City councillors from payment of rates and water bills.

“Under matters for which the chairperson’s consent had been obtained, the committee enquired the provisions of council policy regarding the payment of rates and water bills by councillors. The corporate services and housing director (Mrs Ncube) advised that councillors, like any other residents, were expected to pay their rates and water bills.

“Following discussion, the committee agreed that the corporate services and housing director reports on the policy proposal for the exemption of councillors from payment of rates and water bills,” read part of the minutes.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba yesterday said his organisation expected councillors to pay in full their rates and water bills.

“They are busy making decisions that affect the citizens and want to be exempted. What are their explanations and justifications when they are failing to defend the residents’ concerns? Councillors are not professionals who should be paid for any specific skills like medical doctors, engineers, journalists, lawyers or accountants.

“They are community volunteers who have sacrificed to work for the electorate. Now they want to compete with the city employees to get exemptions yet they are being insensitive to their own employees who have gone for plus four months without receiving their monthly salaries,” he said.

He slammed councillors for chasing luxury.

“If they wish to have a better lifestyle as councillors, they must unite and lobby Government to increase their monthly allowances. They do not currently deserve the exemptions to pay water bills and rates.

“As long as they are being cruel to residents, they should not expect any sympathy from them,” he said.

Chairman of the Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) Mr Simbarashe Moyo said it was not fair for councillors who are policy makers to make decisions which do not affect them.

“Currently, we are resisting the move by the city fathers to introduce prepaid water meters because residents are finding it difficult to pay their water bills but we are seeing that these councillors are not affected by the decisions they make.

“They should not prescribe how our water is paid when they want to access water for free,” he said.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition spokesperson Mr Mfundo Mlilo said councillors should lead by example.

“Any responsible person pays their bills. We do not understand where the councillors are coming from. They must lead by example.

“In developed nations a person cannot run for public office before proving that they are responsible citizens who settle their bills,” he said.