A Gwanda woman who went out of business after her grocery shop was looted during the Gukurahundi atrocities has approached the Gwanda Rural District Council (GRDC) seeking an exemption from paying her shop licence fees.
Betty Moyo used to operate a general dealer at Sitsha Business Center before the shop was raided in 1984.
In a letter to the local authority which was read during the seating of the full council, Moyo failed to resuscitate her business after the looting.
“Application for exemption for licensing of a general dealer Sitsha business centre Betty Moyo. Council received a letter from Betty Moyo requesting to be exempted. She stated that the store has not been operational since 1984 due to liberal struggle after the looting of goods from the shops, they failed to continue trading,’ said Clr Ncube.
However, the local authority kept billing her.
Discussing the matter, Ward 3 councillor Limukani Ncube said the recommendation from the council Moyo be exempted from all the licenses but pay the full lease and land development levy as of July 2013 to date.
“That council has all business inventory showing all businesses on the ground including very old ones and those that were never captured,” said Clr Ncube.
Ward 1 councillor Stanford Nkala, however, said councillors should intervene in such issues and assist business people.
“in such cases, we need to know how best we can help business people if someone last paid in 1984, it’s really long back, this will be a now idle place but to the council, they are still counted as someone with a shop,’ he said.
In addition, councillor Ndlovu said councillors should help business people who are struggling to pay for licences.
The councillors also argued that the council should not wait until businesses have closed down before offering help.
