Pay Rates or Lose Your Building, Mafume Warns Owners of Abandoned Properties
Story By Staff Reporter
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has questioned why many buildings in the capital have stood abandoned for years. He says the city is losing money because rates and rents are not being collected.
Mafume spoke about the state of the central business district. He said the problem points to a gap in how the city raises revenue.
Abandoned Buildings in the City Centre
The mayor said many buildings in town have no occupants. He named the TN Foods site, which he said has stood empty for years. He also pointed to a service station along Samora Machel Avenue and Harare Street, which has likewise been abandoned for a long time.
Mafume said one building in the middle of town has been dead for about fifteen years. In his view, this shows that someone is not doing their job.
Rates Are Not Being Collected
The mayor said no city should have derelict buildings in its centre if rates were being paid. He asked who is supposed to collect the rents and rates.
He insisted that the city must collect what it is owed. He also gave a clear warning to defaulters. Owners who fail to pay should expect their property to go to the city.
“We should be collecting rates,” he said. Such revenue, he added, would help the city and keep its buildings in use.
Blitz Operations Are Not a Full Solution
Mafume also spoke about the blitz operations that clear people from the streets. He agreed that a blitz can offer a short-term solution. However, he warned that it often comes at a cost.
He then turned to council workers. Some of them work at the water plant. They report for duty every day so that residents can have water. Others, he said, do dangerous work in the sewer works.
Meanwhile, other people move around town collecting bread to sell. The mayor suggested that council staff carry out hard and risky jobs for a salary, so they deserve respect.
A Call for Fairness
Mafume ended with an appeal. He asked residents and officials to be fair to their colleagues who keep the city running.
