MORE than 40 families in Torwood suburb are sleeping in the open after they were locked out of their council rented homes by the Redcliff council over unpaid rentals. BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER
The local authority has resorted to locking its tenants out until they pay the outstanding rentals.
Susan Pepukai and her three children have been sleeping in the open since last Friday when council locked them out of their house over a $50 debt which covers two months’ rentals on their H22A, Torwood house.
Pepukai told our sister paper NewsDay that because of failure Ziscosteel (now New Zimsteel) to pay her husband a salary the family was unable to raise money for the rentals and an additional $15 fine, which also has to be paid before council unlocks the homes.
Among the council’s victims is 78-year-old Sukina Mujanga who said she had been sleeping in the open for three days.
Elderly women and men were not spared, with council indiscriminately locking the homes, which do not even have running water or electricity.
Council’s finance committee chairperson councillor Clayton Masiyatsva, who is charged with collecting funds for the local authority, said he was not aware that council workers were locking people out of their homes.
“We have not passed any resolution to that effect because as a local authority we are aware of directives which bound us not to engage in such evil acts,” he said.
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“What we have is a debt collection policy, which is yet to be implemented. Therefore anyone locking out four-year-olds and anyone else for that matter does not have the blessing of councillors.”
In 2012, Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo directed local authorities not to cut water supplies to residents over unpaid bills.
The directive came after Kwekwe City council which supplies Redcliff with water, had resolved to stop water supplies to the town over an $8 million debt.
“My ministry has received reports that Kwekwe City Council has disconnected water supplies to Redcliff Municipality as a result of outstanding payment,” Chombo’s directive read.
“May I stress the fact that water is a basic human right and to deprive a whole population of the ailing municipality due to non-payment not only endangers their lives in the wake of a myriad of diseases, but is utterly atrocious.”
Torwood Residents’ Association organising secretary Danisa Ncube accused council of failing to provide basic services yet it was quick to lock out people from their houses.
“This is inhumane. They demand $12 for fixed water supplies per house yet not a single house has portable water or just pipes into the homes. They also want a $1 per household for electricity yet we are not connected to any grid. We have tried to engage them, but the local authority is just stubborn,” he said.
