The ManicaPost
Lovemore Kadzura
Rusape Correspondent
Residents and ratepayers here are up in arms with their local authority for hiking rates by over 1 000 percent, despite their objections during budget consultations.
There has been uproar in the town after residents started receiving enormous bills which are beyond the reach of the majority in the town.
During the budget consultations last year, residents asked council not to arbitrarily increase tariffs, but their suggestions and input were not taken on board.
Residents have since petitioned the council to review the tariffs downwards.
In a letter to the acting town secretary, Engineer Charles Chindenga, which was also copied to the town chairman, Councillor Lyton Sithole and Makoni District Development Coordinator, Mr Edwin Mashindi; Rusape Residents Trust chairman, Mr Potiphar Guta said the rates being charged by council are punitive and beyond the reach of residents.
Mr Guta said council used a black market rate of 1:90 instead of the official rate that was prevailing late last year when the budget was crafted.
He said considering the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, residents are in a tight corner as most of them are not engaged in meaningful economic activities.
“While we appreciate that council should operate on a cost recovery basis to effectively discharge its mandate, we strongly oppose the tariff hikes which are exorbitant and punitive to the extent of eroding resident’s entire disposable income and leave them in serious debts. Rusape is a dormitory town whose inhabitants’ disposable income has not been increased by the percentage that RTC hiked its tariffs.
“The budget consultations are cosmetic, and in our view council conducts them merely to comply with legal requirements. Input from residents and other stakeholders is not taken into consideration.
“Council sometimes resort to estimates, instead of actual meter readings, and the estimate figure of 37 cubic litres per household is too high. Council is also charging un-rendered services in some locations, especially street lighting.
“Council should reduce rates by 50 percent. RTC must consider cost cutting and implement radical measures to plug unnecessary waste or pilferage of resources,” reads part of Mr Guta’s letter.
Concerned Rusape Residents Trust executive member, Mr Phillip Mavhuna, said they will petition Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo over the rates.
“The rates are just too much. In Magamba, residents are being charged an equivalent of US$60 per month and we do not have that money. We are mobilising signatures for our petition to the ministry if council refuses to negotiate with us. Council should conduct budget consultations in good faith and listen to our concerns,” said Mr Mavhuna.
Rusape Town Council chairman, Councillor Sithole, said council is seized with the matter and is engaging stakeholders to come up with a win-win solution.
“We have so far received one official complaint over the rates and we have come across a number of complaints on social media. We are currently working on the matter to see how best we can strike a balance between service delivery and the residents’ concerns. We are ready for dialogue and engagements.
“We have never refused to engage residents on the issue. Our doors are always open. Before escalating matters to higher offices, I think it is necessary to first exhaust available local communication channels,” said Councillor Sithole.
