Council, ratepayers clash over rates hike

RATEPAYERS in Harare are up in arms with the council after it raised tariffs by almost 1 000%, resulting in people in the capital now expected to fork out US$40 to US$70 per month for rates.

The Harare City Council increased its rates following the approval of its 2021 budget.

However, the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba yesterday told NewsDay that council had ignored the input of ratepayers who had rejected the steep rise in rates.

“It is most unfortunate that we have arrogant officials representing the City of Harare who hold the ratepayers in contempt. HRT is currently lobbying the central government and the councillors to revise their rates by at least 30% to 50% for all the rates in the 2021 budget.

“Council officials took advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown period to put together an unrealistic budget that is inflationary. They created their own budget and ignored the key input of the few ratepayers who participated in their WhatsApp budget consultations that were held for the 2021 budget,” he said.

Shumba said due to COVID-19 regulations and procedures, a majority of ratepayers were denied the opportunity to visit council offices to inspect the draft budget.

“It is most unfortunate that the officials in the town clerk’s office have assumed too many powers and discarded residents’ objections, and made the councillors to approve the 2021 budget without disclosing the objections.

“The Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29.15) does not provide independent verifiable mechanisms to adjudicate objections raised by ratepayers. City of Harare officials are responsible for inflating 2021 budget in order to increase their salaries and allowances for themselves and councillors,” Shumba said.

He said the HCC needs to be innovative and find other viable alternative ways to generate revenue instead of depending on rate increases.

“For instance, city parking generates huge amounts of money, but that money remains unaccounted for,” he said.

The HRT said they will urge residents to pay an average of US$10 per month as they are unable to pay the new charges of US$40 to US$70.

Harare City Council acting spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said: “It seems residents only complain whenever the council raises rates to meet costs, but when other organisations do the same they don’t complain. We did the consultations and residents were represented by their councillors. They gave us feedback and we resolved to adjust the rates in line with the prevailing economic situation.”

Ruwende said residents will pay rates backdated to January, adding that Harare residents had all along been paying next to nothing.

“Council is not there to make profits but to break even and have all its operations fully funded. Residents’ representatives should be the ones to urge residents to pay their bills in order for them to get proper service delivery,” he said.