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By Richard Kawazi
Bindura residents have raised their ire against the local authority which recently increased tariffs without reportedly consulting them, Nhau/Indaba has established.
According to the angry residents, the Municipality increased rates by 44 percent without formerly communicating, leaving residents in shock after receiving their monthly statements.
Their anger was expressed through a social media group created to cater for problems bedeviling residents in Mashonaland Central’s capital.
Despite the sudden increase, residents are already at loggerheads with the council authorities who have been accused of poor service delivery.
Residents are not amused by the poor supply of running water and failure of the officials to collect waste exposing them to the risk of disease.
In September this year, the business community was infuriated following the destruction of property worth millions of dollars after fire razed down Muunganirwa Bar and Grocery Store.
A team from Fredda Rebecca Mine instead managed to extinguish the fire as the authority failed due to lack of a fire tender despite its billing of rate payers every month.
“You must stop billing us for fire services you are not providing,” Bindura Business Community Trust secretary general Richard Phiri snapped then.
Following this increase, one resident, Plan Maruve fuelled the complaints after asking, “Has council suddenly raised bills by a massive 44%?” through a discussion on the social media platform for Bindura residents.
Bindura Residents Association chairperson, Joel Mandundu confirmed the increments to Nhau/Indaba and said he assumed it was done unofficially.
Allen Gatawa another resident of Chipadze township said that his bill statement had doubled leaving him stunned.
“My statement used to range between ZWL 8,000 and ZWL10, 000 in the past six months or so. But this month of November my bill has nearly doubled to ZWL 25, 000,” Gatawa said.
The increments have reportedly cascaded down to resident owners who have since increased rentals for their tenants.
A group of Bindura University students confirmed the rental increase and told Nhau/Indaba that their landlords have demanded an extra US$10 for this month’s rental citing the unrealistic increased rates.
“We have been paying $60 per person, but recently our landlord asked us to pay an extra $10 per person to cover the cost of the increased rates.”
“We are afraid that accommodation is becoming very expensive for us, and our parents might not be able to afford it,” said a representative of the group who preferred anonymity.
Nhau/Indaba was unable to obtain a comment from Bindura Municipality before going for publication. Nhau/Indaba
