Africa-Press – Mozambique. The publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, has announced that it only channels money to municipalities that also contribute to the waste collection fee.
It means that a contract between EDM and municipalities is crucial so that the amount regarding waste collection fee [taxa do lixo] can be discounted and later channelled to the municipalities’ coffers.
According to Joaquim Ou-chim, EDM chairperson, who was responding to Shafee Sidat, Mayor of southern Marracuene Municipality, after he accused the company of not channelling the amount regarding waste collection fee, the channelling only happens when the municipality’s residents are discounted by the company.
“There is no municipality where EDM is charging the waste collection fee and not providing the service. The collection of the waste collection fee is linked to our system, which is audited. Once charged, we channel the amounts collected the following month”, he said.
Ou-chim, who was speaking to reporters in the northern province of Nampula, explained that EDM only charges the waste collection fee and channels the amount after the company and the municipality interested in providing the service sign a contract.
“For the contract, the municipality must provide information on residents eligible to be registered in the system and start deducting the fee from them on a monthly basis. What happens, especially in new municipalities, is that we do not yet have a contract for the collection of the waste collection fee”, he said.
“The municipality itself has to identify its residents who must pay the fee and provide the list (or information) for us to register in the system and, from there, begin collecting the waste collection fee”, he added.
For his turn, Eduardo Pinto, EDM commercial director, explained that there is no contract between EDM and the municipality of Marracuene regarding waste collection fee.
“We have no contract with the municipality of Marracuene. We are not discounting residents when they purchase electricity. Therefore, we have no way of giving any money to the municipality. Marracuene is not the only municipality without a contract. Of the 65 municipalities, we only have contracts with 42”, he said.
Source: AIM
