Madhuku Says It Is Illegal For Councils to Hire Private Debt Collectors, Urges Residents To Beat Them Up
Professor Lovemore Madhuku, a law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said Harare residents should “beat-up” private debt collectors whom the city council has tasked to attach their properties for non-payment of rates.
Harare City Council has unleashed private debt collectors on residents who owe the local authority.
Most of the debts which residents have accrued over the years come from water bills.
The debt collectors are said to be violently and forcibly breaking into residents’ houses to attach their properties.
Such violent incidences happened in Belvedare, Budiriro and Kuwadzana where debt collectors are reported to have broken into residents’ houses and got away with properties for resale to recover municipality’s dues.
Speaking at a Harare residents’ public meeting, Wednesday night, discussing Harare debt management, Professor Mudhuku said it was illegal for the local authority to hire private debt collectors.
“Harare City Council falls under the ministry of Local Government and there is no government in the world which unleashes private debt collectors on its citizens over debts, and to make the case worse, the debts of water to which every citizen has a right guaranteed in the constitution,” said Madhuku.
“If such governments are there you would find that they will be dictatorial, autocratic and anti-people,” Madhuku said.
Madhuku said the law allows local authorities to seek court orders and use the police to recover their debts from defaulters, not private debt collectors.
He said the police and the messenger of court were the only ones mandated by the law to recover debts on behalf of public institutions.
“What I am urging you, is that, make it very difficult for the so called debt collectors to rob you because they are not allowed by law to do so. In fact beat them up and we will meet them in court if they then decide to report you, because if you allow them to take your properties ,tomorrow any one will come claiming that he had been sent to collect money from you by the Harare City Council,” he said to the ululating public.
Harare City Council spokesperson, Michael Chideme, said the local authority was not going back on demanding its dues.
“Despite all what has been said by other speakers here, the fact remains that if you have a debt you have to pay it and we are saying and have been saying that please come to our offices and make some debt payment plans.
“Harare City Council needs cash to repair, burst pipes and to buy water treatment chemicals and that money should come from the rates you would not have paid,” he said.
