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US$ Billing Angers Poor Gwanda Ratepayers

Gwanda residents fear being cut off from accessing social services because of a lack of foreign currency. Image by Getty images


BY MELODY C. MPANDE | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | MAR 18, 2022

Access to social services such as water is a basic human right but plans to dollarize will see many poor families being cut off.


GWANDA (The Citizen Bulletin) — All that Simangaliso Maphosa, a 30-year-old mother of two, wants is access to clean water and other services from the local authority.

But her hopes to continue accessing the services are vanishing, Maphosa says as she expresses outrage over council’s decision to bill ratepayers in foreign currency.

“This council makes my existence almost impossible,” says Maphosa.


“Effectively, this means the poor and those without forex have been cut off from accessing social services.”
Simangaliso Maphosa, a 30-year-old mother of two


Like Maphosa, dozens of poor residents in Gwanda have blasted the council for proposing to dollarize services as the local currency slides.

A number of businesses are pricing their goods and services in US dollars as the economy fast re-dollarises.

But residents accused the local authority of ambushing them without consultation.

“The greatest failure of council as an institution is taking decisions without the input of residents,” says one Gwanda resident, Nqobile Hlabangani.

Another resident Duduzile Siziba says: “If the residents were involved in the consultations, there could be clear facts on areas where payments are to be done in USD.”

Gwanda mayor councilor Njabulo Siziba says billing residents in USD is justified as he argued that the same people who are complaining are buying fast foods in forex.


“We understand the difficult times including that civil servants are earning RTGS but these are the same civil servants you find at Chicken inn buying food with forex.”
Njabulo Siziba, Gwanda Council Mayor quoted in the media


But the statement triggered a lot of debate with some residents feeling it was careless, reckless and insensitive.

Municipality of Gwanda...The mayor says the local authority needs the US dollar to provide services. Image by The Citizen Bulletin


One resident, Melusi Dube asks: “Should the Council make decisions for the masses because of business outlets that take forex?”

“These are some issues affecting our peace as a community...We need to engage Council officials and ask them if they still represent the people or their stomachs.”

Gwanda Residents Association Representative Wellington Nare says council services must never be priced in forex when the majority are earning in local currency.

Access to social services is a basic right, he adds.

“The basic service delivery cannot be priced in foreign currency when people are earning RTGS.  Yes it's time to dollarise but it has to start at central government level down to local authorities not the other way round,” says Nare.


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Zimbabwe re-introduced the local currency in 2019, ending a decade of dollarization. Central government has said there is no going back to dollarization.

But many Zimbabweans complain that goods and services are still priced in other currencies.

While the country’s majority earn in local currency dollars, goods ranging from bricks to groceries have their prices pegged in U.S. dollars in several retail shops.


The Gwanda Mayor says the local authority also needs the US dollars to continue providing services.


“We cannot afford to procure for example, fuel using RTGS. Only forex is usable,” Siziba says.

“But we are saying things that touch the daily lives of people like water will continue to be paid in local currency.”


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