Suburban
The City of Harare is conducting an audit of tenants occupying its residential and commercial properties with those defaulting paying rentals facing eviction.
Suburban Reporter
In a notice on Tuesday, council gave the defaulting tenants up to March 21 to pay up or face eviction.
“Dear City Tenants, Council auditing occupancy of its residential and commercial properties. Occupants not paying rentals to be evicted. Be paid up by 21 March, 2021.
“Part of the audit verifies lease ownership. Council will offer leases to sitting tenants,” read the notice by the City of Harare.
Harare claims it is owed more than ZWL$5,5 billion by residents, businesses, industry, Government departments, churches, stall holders at its markets and tenants in council-owned residential and commercial properties.
The municipality says its tenants in council owned properties owe the City of Harare ZWL$46 765 203.
Last year, suspended Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume said he was concerned that the City of Harare does not have an inventory of who is leasing council properties and the revenue being generated from rentals.
He expressed the concern following reports he received that the City of Harare owned two of the apartments at a Belvedere block of flats, which was gutted by a fire in November last year.
The entire block used to belong to council but the rest of the apartments had since been sold leaving two in the ownership of the municipality.
“Are they (the two) with council workers in them or are they with people that have since left council?
“We need to have a dashboard and an accurate record of who is leasing our properties and who is in them, it would help.
“Can the relevant committee have a proper schedule that states the properties being leased, being sub-let and the revenues they are bringing,” he said while addressing councillors and officials at the 1899th Ordinary Council meeting.
