The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Municipal Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council’s recent decision to resume water disconnections to all defaulters was pushed by council top officials as a way of avoiding possible further salary cuts, Sunday News can reveal.
Despite the statement announcing the disconnections having been released by the new Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube it has since emerged that the decision to resume the disconnections could have been made in September after the local authority accepted set conditions from the Government to have their 2016 budget approved.
In the statement, Mr Dube said the local authority was disconnecting water supplies with immediate effect. He said the exercise was meant to encourage residents to make payment plans.
“The City of Bulawayo would like to advise residents and members of the public that we will be disconnecting water supplies with immediate effect on all residential and commercial properties whose accounts are in arrears,” reads part of the statement.
However, in the latest development it has since emerged that the local authority is under pressure to increase its revenue base as it was already struggling to adhere to the 70 percent service to 30 percent salaries Government stipulated ratio.
According to a council confidential report, the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing gave the local authority seven conditions to approve the budget which include that they should “manage its creditors” and “make efforts to live within its means” or risk having their budget rejected and salaries further rationalised.
“The conditions as stipulated in the ministerial directive were that the council manages its creditors so as to minimise them.
Council should make an effort to live within its means. The council should also fully implement its debt recovery strategies so as to reduce debtor levels.
“The budget performance must further improve considerably or inflated figures will not be approved for 2017. The rationalised salaries should be implemented forthwith and remain at the budget approved levels unless authority to amend the budget is sought and given by the Minister,” reads part of the report.
The council was further asked to put in place sustainable payment plans to reduce the levels of statutory obligations which have risen to high levels. The report further revealed that the local authority was forced to halt talks with their workers on a possible salary increase amid fears that it could jeopardise their chances of having their 2017 budget approved. Council sources revealed that councillors had been largely divided on disconnections with top management however, pushing for the implementation as they were under pressure to increase their revenue base.
“During the last meeting with the ministry officials led by the Minister (Saviour Kasukuwere), it was made clear that if council management wanted to maintain their salaries they should increase what they collect monthly, failure to which the Government will not have no choice but to further rationalise their salaries and allowances. Councillors had to give in to the proposal as most now fear the wrath of the Government after five were recently suspended so they want to be seen adhering to every directive even if it doesn’t benefit the residents,” said the source.
Contacted for comment, Mr Dube confirmed that the local authority was under pressure to boost their revenue inflows but said their major concern was with improving service delivery which mainly relied on revenue collected.
Council has also proposed water shedding to start at the beginning of November.
