BUSINESS owners, church organisations and residents of Nembudziya growth point have joined hands in protest against the Gokwe Rural District Council’s proposed 2025 service rates.
The community said the proposed rates were beyond the reach of most businesses in the area, adding that they were anti-poor.
The unprecedented fee hikes, in some instances exceeding 300%, have sparked public outcry, with stakeholders condemning them as anti-business, economically irrational and detached from the harsh economic realities facing Zimbabweans.
In a strongly worded memorandum circulated ahead of a stakeholder meeting, the concerned community bemoaned the excessive increases.
According to the proposals, banks will pay US$12 820 up from US$4 000 in 2024, micro-finance institutions, US$8 240 from US$2 400, while churches are expected to pay US$732 from US$160.
Pharmacies will be required pay US$6 455 from US$2 000, filling stations (US$10 300 from US$2 400), photocopying services (US$480 from US$156), while barber shops are expected to pay US$548 from US$172.
The local authority was mainly criticised for targeting non-profit institutions such as churches, which have seen an increase of over 350%. Residents are questioning the legality and morality of imposing such exorbitant rates on churches.
“Why punish churches as if they are making profit? These are places of worship that provide social and spiritual services to our communities, often in the absence of government support,” one of the church leaders, who requested anonymity, said.
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The business community argued that the proposed tariffs do not only threaten the survival of small businesses but also contradict government's efforts to support entrepreneurship and economic resilience in the face of prevailing economic challenges.
“As a local investor with a fuel station 90% complete in Nembudziya, I find the 2025 land levy and rates to be anti-development and completely out of touch with Gokwe North’s economic realities.
“No serious investor will choose to invest where rates are higher than in Harare or even Gokwe South. This district is one of the least developed, and instead of stifling growth, council should be creating an environment that attracts development.
“These rates must be urgently revised to at least 2024 levels and it’s time we establish a residents association to advocate for the people,” Donewell Bangure, a resident of Nembudziya, said.
“Where on earth does a sensible institution implement a grotesque increase in fees without stakeholder consultation or service improvement? This is not only extortionate, it is also completely disconnected from the realities on the ground,” another businessman said.
The community also accused council of failing to provide justification for the steep hikes, especially in the absence of improved services delivery.
They cited persistent challenges such as bad road infrastructure that impedes the transport of goods and services, erratic and unreliable electricity supply that disrupts daily business operations, unreliable water supply, forcing businesses and residents to incur additional costs for private water sources, lack of basic sanitation services and waste collection, among other challenges.
The business owners compared the rates with those of Gokwe Town Council saying similar services were more than five times lower than the proposed 2025 rates for Nembudziya Growth Point despite it having better infrastructure.
The residents and business operators said council should suspend the proposed 2025 rates and initiate an inclusive consultative process.
NewsDay failed to contact Gokwe North Rural District Council chief executive David Manyawu for a comment, because his mobile phone was not reachable.
Messages sent through WhatsApp and SMS had not been responded to until the time of going to print last night.
