BY VICFALLSLIVE REPORTER
Victoria Falls City Council on Friday started disconnecting water supplies to residents that have not paid their bills for three months as it battles to recover $500 million from ratepayers.
Town clerk Ronnie Dube told VicFallsLive that the exercise, which targets both residential and commercial properties, will see some people going for days or weeks without water until they make an effort to clear part of what they owe.
“We are owed over $500 million as of the end of year last year,” Dube said.
“The arrears date from 2019 and the Covid-19 period, but they have a negative impact on our support operations because that money has lost value.
“We have had to find ourselves operating in a negative balance.
“So everyone who owes should expect us at any given time as this will be an on-going process. ”
Dube, however, said his office will welcome ratepayers seeking payment arrangements.
“We are positively appealing to them to be responsible and to make payment arrangements following the right channels,” he said.
“All the money that is owed goes towards service delivery. So if they don’t pay, other residents in turn get to suffer more.
“We will be open to those who might want to come and do some labour for us to clear their debts although we had put that on suspension as some bunked and in the end the authority lost more revenue.”
In previous years, the local authority used to hire some defaulting ratepayers to do menial jobs including slashing of grass around town to settle their debts.
Dube blasted politicians and human rights activists, who have been campaigning against water disconnections, saying the practice was against the law.
“Instead, they should encourage people to pay as this is all about the council,” he said.
“We are not putting the money in our pockets, so that campaign against the exercise should not be an issue to be addressed.”
Meanwhile, council said revenue halls such as the one in Mkhosana and its main offices in town will be open this weekend for payments and to process payment plans.