MARTIN MAWAYA
Gweru City Council has announced that it will not accept payment plans during a revenue collection blitz which started on Monday ending May 23, 2025.
The operation aims to recover outstanding debts, some of which date back five years, according to the city’s credit controller, Gashia Chimatira.
“Our mandate as the department is to collect revenue, and during the revenue blitz, we will not be offering payment plans, as this might cause commotion during the operation,” Chimatira said at a Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) meeting on Tuesday.
Chimatira explained that the council is targeting residents who have not paid their bills for the past five years and have accumulated significant debts, disrupting service delivery for those who have been loyal in their payments.
“We are looking for residents who owe the council high figures and use council services while making loyal, paid up residents bear the brunt,” he said.
The council has encouraged residents to read their meters before the due date and compare the readings with those of the council to address any discrepancies in billing.
However, residents have raised concerns about the accumulating bills and the declining service delivery, particularly the limited water supply.
Mtapa resident Spiwe Nzira complained that meter readers do not always take proper recordings and often resort to estimating the bills.
GRRA executive director Cornilia Selipiwe suggested that the council should decentralize meter reading to ward level and ensure that workers wear name tags for easy identification.
The revenue blitz comes as the council seeks to improve its revenue collection and address the longstanding issue of unpaid bills, which have impacted service delivery in the city.
