By Flata Kavinga
The Municipality of Redcliff has urged residents to actively participate in the development of the town and to settle their bills on time to enhance service delivery, in line with national development priorities.
This comes as the Municipality is struggling to recover US$25 million owed by ratepayers, derailing service delivery in the process.
Public Relations Manager Michael Kundai Magoronga said the local authority is strengthening engagement with residents in line with its Client Service Charter, which promotes transparency, accountability and professionalism, key principles anchored in Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
He said ratepayers are free to engage Council through his office in case of any challenges and also approach finance offices for payment plans.
“We are currently owed approximately US$25 million by ratepeyres and our current collection efficiency stands at 25 percent. The same ratepayers who are demanding service delivery, are also not paying their bills. We are therefore saying, in case of any challenges, they should approach council for any assistance they want. The public relations office is always there to ensure transparency, professionalism, integrity, accountability and teamwork between council and residents,” said Magoronga.
He noted that the municipality has established multiple communication platforms to enhance citizen participation, which is central to achieving inclusive governance under NDS2.
“We have created WhatsApp groups, Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as a website page. Residents can also access us through our toll-free number. All this is to ensure that we are always available for residents not only to report faults and register complaints but also to give them a platform to contribute towards the development of their community,” he said.
Magoronga emphasized that residents’ input is critical in guiding equitable resource allocation and prioritisation of development projects, in line with the government’s thrust of leaving no one and no place behind.
“We value input from residents as it helps us distribute resources fairly. Understanding their needs enables us to address them effectively,” he said.
He further encouraged residents to actively contribute towards the town’s development, noting that local authorities are custodians of public resources.
“As council, we are custodians of residents’ resources, and their participation is key in shaping sustainable development,” he said.
Magoronga, however, stressed that timely payment of municipal bills remains fundamental to meeting Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS), which set benchmarks for efficient and reliable service provision by local authorities.
“It is important for residents to pay their bills on time because without revenue, there can be no service delivery. Revenue collection directly affects our ability to meet minimum service delivery standards in areas such as water supply, waste management, and road maintenance. It is therefore not enough for residents to register compaliants and forego making the necessary contribution by paying their bills,” he said.
The municipality indicated that improved revenue collection would enhance its capacity to meet service delivery obligations and contribute to national development goals under NDS2.
