HARARE City Council has failed to pay for its controversial
and highly-criticised BIQ billing system, prompting Quill Associates, the South
African system developer, to terminate its services.
Despite heavy criticism on the BIQ system for glaring
loopholes, the system owners this year reportedly hiked the fees from US$35 000
annually to US$75 000.
The system was disconnected close to a month ago and
ratepayers are up in arms over the blackout, which has denied them access to
information regarding their accounts. Receipting is being done offline and no
updates on payments are being done.
Rates clearance certificates for property transfers are not
being processed. The disconnection of the BIQ system has also denied property
owners general information on the status of their accounts. City of Harare has
confirmed on its Facebook page that there is a problem with the billing system.
“We would like to advise our valued customers that we are
currently experiencing challenges with our billing system.
“Our technical team is resolving the issue. We will soon be
able to dispense the monthly bill statements.
“All other operations are going on smoothly. We regret any
inconveniences caused during this period,” reads the post.
Investigations by The Herald revealed that the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe (RBZ) raised issues with the fee hike from US$35 000 to $75 000.
The central bank is said to have asked for justification of
the increase. Harare Residents Trust (HRT) spokesperson Mr Precious
Shumba expressed concern over the disturbance.
Mr Shumba said the secrecy in which the BIQ issue was being
managed smacks of some bigger scandal pitting council officials. Herald
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