The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council has recorded a positive response to its final notice to absent landowners who had abandoned their properties and neglecting in paying rates and rentals, it has been learnt.
This comes amid revelations that a majority of the 1 009 properties belonged to people in the Diaspora who were now sending their relatives to the council offices to clear their arrears. The local authority, early last month, flighted a third and final notice to individuals and companies that owe it substantial amounts in rates for their properties.
Council advised all those whose properties have been listed to make necessary payments within 30 days or risk losing them.
In an interview with Sunday News yesterday, BCC Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Dictor Khumalo said they were happy with the response that they were getting from those on the list. Mr Khumalo said they were confident that by the expiry of the 30-day period a majority would have made payments in settling their accounts.
“While I don’t have the figures off the cuff right now, I can confidently say that by yesterday (Friday) we had a lot of people approaching our offices to make payments and settle their accounts. What we discovered is that a majority of the people on that list are people based in the diaspora, who have been sending their relatives to make payment and avoid losing their properties.
“We, however, continue to engage the various property owners on that list with the hope that come the expiry of the 30-day period a majority would have been able to pay what they owe,” said Mr Khumalo.
Questioned on the next step after the expiry of the 30-day notice, Mr Khumalo said they would approach the courts to try and recover what was owed to them, which will culminate in the local authority auctioning the properties.
“We will naturally give them a minimal grace period before approaching the courts to give us an interdict. I must warn those that have chosen to ignore the notice that we will come down hard on them including even auctioning the properties to recover what is owed to us,” he said.
A number of big wigs are among those on the list. Some of them are former Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko’s wife Laurinda, former Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Mrs Eunice Nomthandazo Moyo, former Minister of Water and Water Resources Development and Management Mr Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo, former Tsholotsho Senator Believe Gaule, former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Dr Gideon Gono and RBZ Deputy Governor Dr Kuphukile Mlambo.
Also on the list is former Warriors captain Benjani Mwaruwari, soccer legend Agent Sawu and a Gift Banda, believed to be Njube-Lobengula MP who is also former Njube Sundowns owner and former Bulawayo Deputy Mayor.
Derelict land is land whose rates had not been paid for a period of five years and above. The local authority has in the past expressed concern about the high number of residential and commercial stands that have remained underdeveloped for several years.
Some owners of the land have attributed the failure to develop their stands to the economic situation, saying they could not afford it. BCC has the authority to repossess these properties as guided by the Titles Registration and Derelict Lands Act (Chapter 20:20).
The Act states that; “Persons having claim on derelict land may apply to the High Court or other public body upon immovable property in Zimbabwe and such property is abandoned, deserted, derelict, and the owner thereof cannot be found, it shall be lawful for the person or body claiming such rate or assessment to apply to the High Court, stating the amount claimed to be due and the grounds applying for relief under this Act.”
