By Beverly Bizeki
Residents in Masvingo City who received their first council bills in United States Dollars end of January complained that the charges were too high as compared to the ones they were paying last year (2023) in local currency.
While most residents welcomed the US billing, they say the charges are relatively high of which they were supposed to be lower to promote US payment of rates.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mutimba said there was a public outcry as council made a unilateral decision over the new billing system and the increase in bills.
“We are concerned about this US billing decision made by council, they made the decision unilaterally without consulting residents. They called a consultative meeting last week where they announced that starting from this month they are billing in USD. We questioned them over why they called it a consultative meeting to make an announcement of a decision already made. This was a unilateral decision made without comprehensively going into the wards to consult residents hence we are not happy because the bills are too high.
“Although they are allowing residents to pay in local currency but the decision to bill in US was supposed to be made with the consent of residents. Residents are not happy and they should probably review their decision otherwise there is a public outcry, residents are not well informed and do not really understand whether the USD bill can be paid in local currency,” said Mutimba.
A Masvingo resident, Lawrence Katenjele said dollarizing the bills meant they now have to fork out more instead of less, which burdens them.
“We have received the bill in USD and there is no problem with the billing, however their rate is inflated. Dollarising the bill has resulted in overcharging. Last month I paid ZWL $254 948 but this month I have paid ZWL $586 867 yet I have no arrears. If you remove the US$18 tax bill on my statement the monthly bill is US$41.28 and that multiplied by ZWL$9 899 does not add up. The increase is unjustified. The figures appear small but when multiplied by their black market rate it is a killing,” said Katenjele.
Another resident Sungano Zvarebwanashe said as residents they were disappointed by the increase in water bills and wished they could revert to the old billing system.
“We want council to operate but if that results in straining the residents then it is a bad idea. My bill is US$30 and this also takes a toll on those that we share the houses with. You would also notice that their rate is high. As residents we wish we could engage council over this issue.
“Usually I would get my bill around ZWL $220 000 (which is about US$20) and it was acceptable but now it has rose to US$30 with the new billing system so it’s better we remain with the local currency bills,” said Zvarebwanashe.
Another resident Entrance Takaedza said the bills were quite high in USD and quite costly for most residents especially pensioners earning about US$100.
“The USD bills are a bit expensive than what we were paying previously and this poses a challenge to some of us who are pensioners earning about US$100. Other residents are vendors and rely on selling and barely get the required money considering they have other bills to pay including medical aids and electricity. We are not happy about the new development usually we would expect our bills to about US$20 but now it is almost US$40,” said Takaedza.
Contrary to what the residents said, Masvingo ward 5 councilor and deputy mayor Daniel Mberikunashe said other residents were happy with the new billing saying such residents understood well how council operates.
“The development has been well received among residents. They do understand how council operates. Almost everything that is purchased at council requires foreign currency and residents must assist council in coming up with the required forex. Because at the end of the day residents want good services,” said Mberikunashe.
Ward 10 councilor Sengerayi Manyanga said the billing system was good as it enabled council to preserve value for their revenue so that they can also be able to pay their workers.
“So far everything is going on well with the new billing system. Nothing has changed as residents are still able to pay for their bills in local currency using the prevailing rate. The idea is okay as it makes council functional enabling it to also pay its workers, purchase chemicals and other material required in council,” said Manyanga.
Masvingo City’s Finance Director Danister Jori was quoted saying council had resorted to USD billing to maintain the value of their revenue as well as enabling residents to trace changes in their water bills.
“Billing of all our services is now done in USD and this is with effect from last week. Residents can pay their bills in local currency using the prevailing interbank rate. We decided to do our billing in USD to preserve the value of our revenue,” said Jori.