By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – Econet Wireless has been exposed for operating base stations in Chiredzi
town without paying the required monthly fees to the local authority in which the local
authority lost thousands of dollars.
The matter came to light during the 68th ordinary full council meeting, when Ward 7 councillor
Brighton Mahiya raised the alarm after Econet Wireless approached the local authority seeking
permission to construct a new base station at Shineplus Residential Park.
“I want to ask if these mobile operators are paying for these base stations to the local authority,
both Econet and NetOne, as I once heard that they haven’t paid a dime since they began
operating,” said Mahiya.
Finance Director Lloyd Musasa, who was standing in for the Town Secretary Consider Kubiku,
confirmed the suspicion, revealing that each base station was supposed to attract a monthly fee of
US$350, but the operator had not been remitting payments.
He said the outstanding amounts would need to be backdated to when the operators first
commenced operations.
“I think there is a resolution on the amount which should be paid by these mobile operators and
they have not been paying anything to the local authority. This means we need to backdate their
payments from the time they started operating,” said Musasa.
Efforts to get a comment from Econet Wireless were unsuccessful, as the company’s public
relations office requested that questions be submitted in writing and had not responded by the
time of writing.
Contacted by TellZim News for clarification, Chiredzi Town Secretary Consider Kubiku referred
questions back to Musasa, saying he wasn’t in the meeting so the best person to comment was
the finance director.
“Unfortunately I was not in the meeting and I think the best person to answer those questions is
the finance director.”
Efforts to get the comment from Musasa were also futile as his cell went unanswered several times.
