100K non-paying households exposé irks residents

Suburban Reporters

Harare residents have expressed dismay over the revelation that more than 100 000 houses in the city are not paying rates.

The residents, most of whom are charged obscenely high figures every month for non-delivered services, expressed their disgust at the fact that in addition to paying for non-delivered services, they were having to subsidise non-paying households.

Reacting to Mayor Jacob Mafume’s revelation that the local authority is failing to collect rates from more than 100 000 households due to its shambolic billing and accounting system, the ratepayers said this was the reason they are always slapped with unexplained rates and service charge increases every month.

“This is the reason why the rest of us have over 100 percent increase in bills, even our USD bills. What a shambles and will continue,” said a Highlands resident.

Queried another resident: “The question is why is it that every time a ratepayer clears their bill and tries to find out how if their payments have been captured in the accounting system, they are given next month’s bill. Where’s the bill coming from when we haven’t even started the new month? Why mix two bills? The interest charges on the bills keep rising. Is this not another way the council uses to fleece ratepayers? How advanced is the council’s accounting system which is able to just produce bills with any figure?

“Where did the City of Harare get the billing system they are using now? All along we have been made to understand that the South African company (that used to supply the billing system) went away with all the historical data. These are questions we are always asking about the City of Harare.”

Councillor Mafume’s said irregular settlements might soon outnumber the 322 000 households currently being billed. This comes amid reports that the municipality lacks a comprehensive database for its billing system, with money owed by ratepayers ballooning to ZiG$2,7 billion as of September 2024.

Mayor Mafume said the planned demolition of 5 000 houses was just a small fraction of over 100 000 houses allegedly built in illegal settlements across the city.

“The irregular settlements number over 100 000 houses in and around Harare. The illegal houses will soon outnumber the legal rate-paying houses of Harare. The 322 000 legal households will foot the bill for everyone,” Mayor Mafume posted on his X account. He claimed that the so-called illegal houses are built on land reserved for basic amenities.

Mayor Mafume, a CCC councillor, further claimed that people were invading council land at an unprecedented rate.

“They do not own the land. They seek no approval from anyone from start to finish. They just build at will and with no due care and regard,” he said. This comes as it has emerged that the city’s planning procedures and processes have been set aside in Harare with land barons operating like warlords under the shield of some councillors.

The city has come under fire, with residents questioning the rationale behind waiting for houses to be completed before demolishing them, and whether it is a coincidence that the city always gets demolition orders during the rainy season.

“Was demolishing all these houses the only way to resolve these problems? It takes time to build houses, and the administration, which has not really changed, watched this happen only to demolish after. Any thoughts on the humanitarian cost?” John Mazanga questioned Harare City’s decision. Another resident Bruce Dormice also echoed the same sentiments, blaming the city for its hesitant approach.

“How were these properties built in the first place? Who sold the land? How come heads are not rolling? There should be a paper trail that leads to who sold the land, who gave authority etc. These are the questions we need answers to.”

Another social media user said: “The question remains unanswered. Where were you as the municipality authority when we ended up having 5 000 illegal houses within your jurisdiction? Or do you consider demolishing costs cheaper than preventive measures? How far deep is it to reach the drawer where you keep the map.”

Another concerned citizen, Muremba Mshavi, said council should harness new technology, suggesting that flying a drone once a month to monitor illegal developments could be more cost-effective than demolishing 5 000 houses.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said illegal land occupations should be halted wherever and whenever they occur but timeously.

“People who invade land that belongs to the state, local authorities and private developers should be severely punished using the law”.

Over a week ago council demolished houses in Belvedere suburb, claiming they were built irregularly and without authorisation.

Government has since launched an investigation into the matter after establishing that the council had embarked on the demolition exercise without a court order.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe last week ordered the Harare mayor and town clerk to stop the demolitions.

However, he said while citizens had the right to housing, they could not abuse that right by establishing illegal settlements.

“The New Dispensation values all citizens and respects the Constitution, which says housing is a fundamental right,” Minister Garwe said. “People have a right to housing, but that said, we must not take the law into our own hands and say, I can build a house wherever I want.

“The law will still visit you. We do not want to take advantage of certain developments and people must not start building recklessly.”

Harare City Council principal housing officer Mr Edgar Dzehonye recently told the Harare Commission of Inquiry that councillors were to blame for the mushrooming of irregular settlements.

“Land barons are now categorised by their wards as they use complicit councillors as their conduits to get council protection from eviction. The administrators in council have been stripped of their functions to allocate land.”