Ratepayers lament steep rates, service charges

Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter

An Avenues resident in Harare has seen their rates and service charges jump from ZWL$200 000 in one month to an astronomical ZWL$9 380 259.49 as ratepayers in capital city continue to receive outrageously steep bills at a time when the municipality is not providing services.

There have also been reports of significant discrepancies in the rates charged for different types of properties as ratepayers question the fairness and transparency of the billing system.

The Avenues resident, who owns a two-bedroom flat, shared that their previous payment was around ZWL$200,000 but the most recent bill they got from the City of Harare amounted to a staggering ZWL$9,380,259.49.

Similarly, residents in other suburbs have reported substantial increases in rates for with most reporting that their bills had double or tripled in one month.

“I do pay every month, but honestly, at the end of the day, where is all this money going?” asked one resident.

Another resident highlighted the discrepancies in rates, stating: “How can a two-bedroom flat be ZWL$9 million, while a four-bedroom house in Mandara is ZWL$1.3 million?”

Ratepayers said even businesses were struggling to pay the municipality bills because most were wobbling in a subdued economy where every sector is cutting on spending.

“Even for the workshops, there is no business these days. These guys are struggling to pay rent, and then we give them bills for rates, honestly,” said a ratepayer.

Residents raised concerns over the timing of the bills, noting that they are now being billed at the end of the month instead of the beginning of the month.

The change in the billing cycle has caught many residents off guard, adding to their woes in dealing with council.

The exorbitant bills were not the only disappointment for residents as some are being sent from pillar to post in search of their bills. City officials were said not be of any help because they hardly respond to emails or other online inquiries.

Responding to residents’ comments, the City of Harare has emphasised the importance of paying bills to enable it to deliver services.

The city says if residents default paying rates and service charges, it affects the municipality’s its ability to buy necessary equipment for garbage collection, road maintenance and other essential services.

Residents are calling for greater transparency and clarity in the billing process. Suggestions have been made for the incorporation of individual monthly charges for property tax and refuse collection in USD, as well as the inclusion of the applicable rate used for each month in the bills. These measures would allow residents to verify the accuracy of their bills and better understand the figures presented to them.

Two weeks ago, Harare ratepayers complained that the increase in rates was not in tandem with the movement of the exchange rate on the official market and found no justification for the increases when council is not providing services.

The City of Harare had increased rates by 246 percent in three weeks even though the exchange rate had moved by 23 percent, triggering a wave of protests from the capital city’s ratepayers.

Although the rates and service charges are pegged in United States dollars, most ratepayers pay in local currency with the city using the official exchange rate to calculate the local currency equivalent of   the charges.

In three weeks in February, the city issued two sets of bills, the first on February 2 and another one on February 27, leaving ratepayers to question how the municipality justifies such increases in a single month.

Residents have been discussing the recent increases on their social media groups where they are once again arguing that the City of Harare has no justification to keep increasing its rates and services outside of the movements of the exchange rate because it was not providing any services.

Most suburbs in Harare have no council tap water while refuse is not collected. Several traffic lights in the city are not working, the same goes for street lights.   Some residents rely on bulk water suppliers and private refuse collectors for water and refuse collection and they feel it is unfair for the City of Harare to keep slapping them with huge bills when it is not providing the services.

In 2022, the City of Harare admitted that it penalises residents who paying their rates and service charges by raising their bills to cover up for the defaulting ratepayers.

A city official told Suburban then that a small percentage of residents were paying their monthly bills leaving the municipality with a paralysing deficit and unable to fund services.

“Council is now penalising the law abiding citizens, who are paying their bills. Council is increasing bills so that a small percentage which is paying their bills can cover for the others who are not paying, which is just not fair,” admitted the council official, speaking on condition of anonymity.