GOVERNMENT debt in unpaid water bills to the struggling Bulawayo City Council has shot to $3,5 million up from $3,2 million recorded in June, latest council minutes have shown.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
According to the minutes, the Ministry of Education topped the list with a $1, 330 254 debt followed by the Ministry of Home Affairs with a staggering $906 464 outstanding bill.
“At the beginning of the month $3,217 781 was owed by Government.
“The debt increased to $3 573 075 by the end of June 2015 due to non-payment of the accounts by some departments,” latest minutes of the finance and development committee meeting read in part.
Council said the failure by government and other debtors to settle their bills was choking its operations, and further putting a strain on its budget.
The local authority has since embarked on water disconnections to defaulting customers, mainly residents, but spared government departments. Bulawayo deputy mayor Gift Banda said government departments also cited the poor state of the economy for their failure to settle their bills on time.
“We try to engage them (government departments), but it is a challenge. It is a very big challenge as they are also crying about the economic situation.
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“It (debt) is really affecting our operations,” Banda said in a telephone interview.
Other government debtors include the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) at $753 295, Ministry of Health $550 445, Higher Education at $142 519 and Local Government ministry at $183 879 while other ministries owe the local authority less than $30 000 respectively.
The Agriculture ministry is the least government debtor with its bill standing at $1 404.
The Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) has on numerous occasions urged government to clear outstanding arrears so that local authorities can provide efficient service delivery. Local authorities do not get any government funding in the annual budget and survive on rates payments from ministries, various State departments, residents and companies.
On Friday, the local authority is due to kickstart its 2016 budget consultations in the 29 wards hardly two months after the current budget was approved by the parent ministry.
In a notice last Friday, Bulawayo town clerk Middleton Nyoni said the consultations would run from August 14 to 30.
The meetings — to be facilitated by ward councillors — are open to transport operators, residents’ associations, civil society, the media, political parties and informal traders.
Primary schools and community halls will be used as venues for the meetings.
