Harare City Council (HCC) has said it will begin levying interest charges on residents and commercial property owners who have outstanding balances on their monthly bills starting this month, according to The Sunday Mail.
In a statement, HCC said interest charges have been necessitated by a need to preserve the value of money. Reads the statement in part:
The City of Harare would like to advise its valued ratepayers, residents and stakeholders that it will begin to levy interest on all outstanding balances with effect from October 31, 2022.
All residents with outstanding balances are therefore encouraged to clear their balances before this date or approach council finance offices for payment plans to avoid the interest charges.
Harare Mayor, Jacob Mafume, claimed in September 2022 that the local government authority is owed ZWL$45 Billion by residents, the central government and businesses.
Mafume, a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillor for Ward 17 Mount Pleasant, told a stakeholders’ meeting recently at the Town House that the failure by residents, institutions and Government Ministries to pay for services had affected Harare City Council’s operations.
He said the local government authority was failing to pay its service providers and as a result was failing to deliver required services to its clients.