A LARGE number of people, who bought housing stands from the Bulawayo City Council that were sold in foreign currency in 2019 are still struggling to pay for them, the local authority has revealed.

According to council’s housing and education committee, only 41 out of the 77 people that bought stands in Selbourne Park on presale contracts had paid for them in full.

The stands were available on a pre- sale scheme in United States dollar prices.

“The stands had been fully serviced with water, sewer and roads,” reads a report by the com

mittee tabled before council last week.

“However, 41 beneficiaries had managed to pay up the full purchase price within the stipulated time of 18 months from the date of allocation.

“The beneficiaries had been allocated on April 15, 2019 and the 18 months elapsed at the end of November 2020.

“Thirty- six beneficiaries had paid up the required deposit, but had been struggling to clear the outstanding balances.”

Council said some of the beneficiaries citied Covid- 19 as one of the reasons they were struggling to pay.

The local authority has given some of the beneficiaries time to pay, but they are now in danger of losing their properties.

It was recommended by the city valuer that: “All those beneficiaries owing less than US$ 4 000 had been given 6 months to clear their balances.]

“Those beneficiaries owing more than US$ 4 000, the stands will be repossessed and offered to the other interested beneficiaries on the waiting list.

“The director town planning had no objection to the proposed repossession of the stands that had not been fully paid up or where the beneficiary had failed to make the full payments to date provided all other departments were agreeable.”

Council eventually adopted a resolution of the health, housing and education committee stating that: “All beneficiaries be given a further six months to clear the balances failure of which the stands be repossessed and repossessed stands to be allocated to people on the waiting list.”