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that we don’t have the money to pay our workers continues to
glare us in the face. Our sole option is to retrench them as some,
such as drivers, have been deemed jobless since their cars have
been attached. We can only pray that the situation normalises,”
he says, traces of pessimism evident in his response.
Residents interviewed said they feared for the outbreak of
diseases as garbage is not collected on a regular basis. In the
interim, council has resorted to hiring tractors for garbage
collection, but they are failing to service all areas.
Anotidaishe Muguti, the programs manager of a Masvingo
residents’ pressure group, The Masvingo United Residents and
Ratepayers Association (MURRA), says it is sad that the residents
have been caught in the cross fire.
“When two elephants engage in a fight, it is the grass which
suffers and in this case, it is the residents who are bearing the
brunt as the council and its employees fight at the expense of
service delivery. We have seen the standards plummet at a rate
that is extremely abnormal. A decade ago, one would rarely find
strewn litter in the City, but such a sight is now common and an
eyesore,” Muguti says.
MURRA recently mooted the idea of a demonstration against
the city council, but they could not obtain clearance from police.
“We wanted to publicly express our frustration and anger
against the actions of the local authority, but we could not get
police clearance,” he confirms.
On the flip side of the coin, Government departments owe the
Masvingo City Council $2 million in rates arrears, according to
the mayor, Cllr Chakabuda.
“We have not been able to recover this money and its
(Government) bills keep increasing as we have not severed our
provision of services to them. This is owing to the fact that some,
like hospitals, are critical institutions.”
And as if that debt is not enough, residents also owe the council
$16 125 879 in unpaid bills as at 31 January 2013. This amount
was revealed at a recent full council meeting whose minutes
were availed to The Parade.
The meeting resolved to increase debt collection to enable
council to raise money to help fund operations at the county’s
historic city. TP
Pictures courtesy of
Leo Koolhoven (flickr) &
T. Shumba (www.ugo.cn)
The pictures were taken during better times when Masvingo
was looking good.
Main picture
• This picture shows main street Masvingo, along the
Mutare - Zvishavane route.
From Top Left to Bottom.
• Downtown Masvingo on the bottom end of the CBD.
• Harare - Masvingo high way as it enters Masvingo ?+???%?????????5???????
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