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| Icod Zim service delivery meeting in Chiredzi |
Beatific Gumbwanda
Chiredzi Town Council has
accumulated more than $2.5 million in debt from its various service providers
since the beginning of the Covid-19 induced lockdown, it has been learnt.
The debt is owed to such
stakeholders as Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe (THZ); Zimbabwe Electricity
Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) and Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (Zinwa).
Due to that difficult state of
its finances, the local authority has now gone for two months without paying
salaries.
This was revealed at a recent
service delivery indaba organised by the Institute for Community Development in
Zimbabwe (ICOD Zimbabwe) in collaboration with the Public Rights Forum (PIRF)
and United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA).
In his address, Chiredzi Town
Council Chairperson Gibson Hwende said council operations had been severely
affected, with revenue collection having dropped from 56 percent before the
lockdown to five percent currently.
“Our debt ballooned as a result
of a sharp drop in revenue collection and we now have salary arrears for the
months of May and June. Our refuse truck is also currently down, and we are
failing to procure the required spare parts,” said Hwende.
From the council’s $52 million
budget for 2020, $433 333 was supposed to be collected from residents and rate
payers monthly, but only 56 percent ($242 666.48) of that figure was managed in
the first month.
The figure dropped to $21 666.50
during the ensuing months after the lockdown was pronounced.
UCHIRRA advocacy officer, Bernard
Dhachi hailed the local authority for improving water reticulation during the
lockdown.
“There has been a notable
improvement on water supply this lockdown regardless of the challenges being
faced and we appreciate council for that. Most residents are, however, now in a
more difficult financial position as the informal trading sector is closed.
They can’t pay their bills and poverty has increased,” said Dhachi.
Chiredzi West Member of
Parliament (MP) Farai Musikavanhu said it was unfortunate that Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) were the most affected by the lockdown.
