Residents of Tafara and Mabvuku said they will not pay their rates to the Harare City Council until they see an improvement in service delivery.
The residents claimed that some sections of Mabvuku had gone for 30 years without receiving tap water, but residents in those areas were being made to pay the fixed water bill.
This came out during a Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) Ward Development Committee meeting held in Tafara. A member of Ward 46 Development Committee said:
A section of houses ranging from house number 1000-1602 has not received a single drop of water for the past 30 years.
It does not make sense for residents to pay for services that are not there, but when the water comes, we will pay.
CHRA, however, encouraged the irate residents to continue paying their rates saying this will empower them to demand accountability from the Council.
Meanwhile, Harare City Council spokesperson Michael Chideme on Sunday revealed that they were looking at the introduction of a pre-payment method.
Chideme said under the current post-payment system, ratepayers are defaulting as they have no compelling obligation to pay.