By VicFallsLive
Victoria Falls residents have cried foul over unjustified water bills which have increased fivefold since the beginning of the year.
Residents accused the council of using the estimated water billing system, instead of carrying out actual meter readings.
Agitated residents vented in a meeting called by the Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) at Chinotimba Community Hall on Tuesday.
They said they did not understand how the council was pegging their water bill charges considering that there are no physical meter readings in the houses.
A cubic litre of purified water in high-density suburbs costs US$55 cents.
“Last month, my neighbour was charged US$75 for a water bill while his monthly charge used to be pegged at around US$10 per month,” one resident revealed.
“When he went to complain, the US$75 bill was reduced to ZW$10 000 and the next month he was charged US$5. This shows irregularities happening at the council because no one is coming to take meter readings,” he said
His sentiments were also echoed by Vifacora’s executive member Trymore Ndolo who revealed that the council was no longer doing meter readings due to staff shortage.
“Council does not have the capacity in terms of manpower to do meter readings,” Ndolo said
“They end up doing estimates which also have its flaws of either overcharging and undercharging the person.”
Another resident who identified himself as Ganda said that such irregularities are allowed to happen because residents lack unity to tackle these issues with council.
“It is us the residents who are not united in holding the council accountable for such irregularities,” he charged
‘As we speak, Mkhosana residents are being charged for water that they are not getting and we are quiet as residents.
“We convene these meetings as when we leave, some of us go and sit with them and tell them what Ganda said, so don’t invite him to the next meeting because he is problematic.
“There was a meeting that I once attended, I raise these issues and someone stood up and said no we need people who are progressive, but I was raising this issue that these people are stealing from us and this is the system, but us residents are the problem.
“When you look at the issue of land, towards the end of 2018 BB7 had 27 stands and when the current councillors were voted in, that land was never discussed and they ate the money for those stands and we don’t talk about it. “Some residents said their water bills charged as much at US$300 and they feared that council was going to disconnect them.
At a full council meeting last week, the council acknowledged the water bill irregularities, but they were investigating the matter.
