HARARE City Council is set to collect its newly-introduced three levies for the fifth time this year without accounting for any previous revenues.
Council has been under fire for introducing new levies while failing to deliver essential services like refuse collection and water supply.
Residents have expressed frustration with the lack of transparency and accountability from the council, particularly when new charges are introduced without prior consultation.
There are concerns that council is prioritising bureaucratic interests over the needs of residents.
The public lighting levy, water levy, and emergency services levy were introduced at the beginning of the year, with promises that they would directly support essential services.
But months later, not a single cent has been transparently utilised for the intended purposes.
Despite residents paying inflated monthly bills, streetlights remain broken across most suburbs, water supplies are erratic, and emergency services are barely functional. Still, the levies embedded in utility bills continue to be collected.
A low-density resident, despite already paying water charges, is paying an additional US$3 for the newly introduced water levy, US$1,50 for emergency services and US$1 for public lighting.
For high-density residents in areas such as Rugare and Kuwadzana, the extra charges are US$1 for the water levy, US$1 for emergency services, and US$1 for public lighting.
Commercial and industrial properties are paying an additional 7,5 percent of their monthly water charge to their bill, along with an extra US$2 for emergency services and US$1 for public lighting.
During the city’s 1 935th ordinary council meeting last Tuesday, Ward 16 Councillor Denford Ngadziore questioned council officials about the usage of the levy funds.
“Now it is the fourth month after we started collecting money for levies, but there is no progress on the ground. Residents are always asking.
“They want to see ambulances, fire tenders, inspections being done. Failure to deliver will lead to disaster,” he said.
Acting finance director Mr Godfrey Kusangaya said all modalities were now in place for usage of the funds after a dedicated account was opened for the levies.
However, residents are demanding answers.
A Warren Park resident, Mr Tafadzwa Charigwa, said residents are being milked dry.
“I pay extra each month for these new levies, but my street has been dark for years. Where is the public lighting we are paying for?”
In Mabvuku, Mrs Rudo Ndiwena said despite being billed for water levies, shortages persist.
“It’s a disgrace. They introduced a water levy, but we haven’t had running water in years. I have to buy from private suppliers,” she said.
A Highfield resident, Mr Daniel Mugwena, questioned the motive behind the charges.
“This feels like a daylight robbery. We don’t even see ambulances anymore, no pills in city council clinics yet emergency services are on our bills. Someone needs to be held accountable,” he said.
Ms Lillian Chakuda from Mabelreign echoed the same frustration.
“We are paying for ghosts. The city is collecting money for things it clearly has no intention of fixing,” she said.
The Harare City Council has admitted financial mismanagement within the local authority, leading to poor service delivery.
Harare City Council Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into the state of affairs at the local authority in January, where he revealed a lack of financial accountability due to the absence of an Enterprise Resource Planning system.
“There is an absence of an electronic resource planning (ERP). The chasing away of the enterprise resource package in 2019 at the recommendation of management has resulted in the City Council not managing to produce audited accounts.
“ERP is the only tool the auditor general and management can use to verify accounts hence management conspired to get rid of ERP,” Clr Mafume said.
“The books of accounts are done manually, which means documentation can be changed and is very difficult to chase.”
Clr Mafume admitted financial mismanagement within the city council’s operations was contributing to a marked decline in service delivery across the capital. – Herald Online
