Bulawayo City Council Seeks Govt Approval To Charge Bills In US Dollars

In an interview with The Chronicle, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni said they have formulated a policy designed to raise foreign currency after service providers allegedly started demanding forex..

Mguni said they are offering a 50 percent discount to individuals who pay bills in United States dollars.  He said the policy now awaits Government approval. Said Mguni:

The policy is subject to confirmation by the Minister (Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde July Moyo). It’s a policy where we are saying that if you pay your bills in US dollars you get a 50 percent discount of what you owe. Let’s say you owe council $100, if you pay $50 in US dollars the other $50 is scrapped. It’s something that we’re working on and it has sailed through the Special Council Meeting. But we are mainly targeting the diaspora community with properties in the city. They can directly pay their bills from where they are. Some of these people, we believe, send their money to people who are resident in the country. However, sometimes these people do not pay their bills.

More: Chronicle