This could see a large population of pupils in the city
being exposed to various health hazards and could see schools without access to
alternative water sources like boreholes being forced to close at a time when
they are preparing for final examinations.
The city’s Mayor, Councillor David Coltart on Monday
announced that the local authority would be embarking on water disconnections
as part of their debt recovery strategies to recover over $200 billion which
was owed in property taxes and service fees by consumers as at the end of
August.
Further clarifying the blitz, in questions sent by Sunday
News, the local authority’s corporate communications manager, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu
said the level of default in the payment of bills by consumers of municipal
services was stalling service delivery and incapacitating the city’s ability to
deliver life support services like health, water and sanitation.
She said all sectors would be affected by the water
disconnections including schools where 59 percent of the total number of
Bulawayo schools would have their water disconnected.
“Council has engaged and continues to engage all school
heads regarding payment of bills. Further, debt notices were sent to all
defaulting schools. However, only 41 percent of the schools responded and
settled their bills.
“Fifty nine percent of schools in the city will have their
services restricted as they have neither responded nor settled their debts.
Similar engagements are ongoing with industry and commerce,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She said the disconnections are targeted at consumers who
are defaulting in their bill payments and are also not responding to other
engagements efforts.
The council spokesperson further noted that while they were
fully aware that residents were already enduring a stringent water shedding
schedule, it is unfair for non-payers to continue to receive services for free.
“The worst-case scenario will be for the city to be
indifferent to debtors and hence get starved of financial inflows resulting in
service delivery failure. The call is for responsible citizenry.
“The city is in an unhealthy financial standing due to
defaulting consumers. Council is owed over $200 billion in unpaid rates and
service charges with Government owing eight percent of the debt, industry and
commerce 32 percent and residents 60 percent of the total debt. This is
chocking the council’s ability to deliver quality service to its residents and
stakeholders,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She defended the disconnection drive saying that was all
being done within the confines of the city’s by-laws, calling on the residents
to familiarise themselves with some of these set regulations.
“The collection of debts is based on existing policies and
by-laws of Council such as the Credit Control and Debt Management Policy, the
Bulawayo (Drainage, Sewerage and Water) by-laws, and the water contract.
“It is therefore an enforcement of policies to ensure
compliance. Consumers of council services are called upon to familiarise
themselves with these policies and by-laws. Debt recovery strategies are also
shared with policy makers through the relevant committees,” said the council
spokesperson.
She said as per council guidelines, water disconnection was
a last resort in the debt collection matrix, noting that the response to the
other strategies of recovery had been disappointing.
“The process of collection employed by the City involves
engagement with the consumers through telephone calls, SMS and call-in letters
to discuss indebtedness, monthly bills to all customers, these bills
communicate the services billed, the current month charge and the level of
indebtedness.
“Council also issues final demands, handover to legal
section, 24-hour notices to restrict services, this is in line with statutory
instrument 390 of 1980 stating that before water is disconnected, consumers
must be given a notice of 24 hours. Council does not disconnect water before
notifying the residents,” said Mrs Mpofu.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson Mr
Taungana Ndoro said the decision although a last resort was going to affect
some schools with no alternative sources of water.
Bulawayo has 146 primary schools and 57 secondary schools.
Sunday News
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