04/09/2026
๐ท๐ฌ๐ป๐จ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐ต ๐ช๐ถ๐ผ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ต๐ฎ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐บ ๐บ๐ป๐จ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ณ๐ซ๐ฌ๐น๐บ ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฝ๐จ๐ณ๐ผ๐จ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ท๐ซ๐จ๐ป๐ฌ
Petauke Town Council has held its second stakeholder engagement meeting on the process of updating its expired Property Valuation Roll.
The engagement brought together various stakeholders, including representatives from the business community and members of the public, to create awareness and promote participation in the valuation exercise, which is expected to commence on Monday, 7th September 2026.
Speaking during the meeting, Petauke Town Council-appointed Valuer, Mr Paul Moyo, said the valuation exercise is important as it will enable the Council to establish an updated property database and broaden its revenue base.
Mr Moyo explained that revenue collected through property rates enables the Council to provide essential public services within the district, including the improvement of feeder roads and garbage collection, as mandated by the Local Government Act No. 2 of 2019.
He further stated that senior citizens who may find property rates too high can apply for remission in accordance with the law.
Mr Moyo said property owners will be given 28 days to inspect the draft roll, submit applications, objections or requests regarding the valuation. He added that where the responsible authority does not respond within the stipulated period, the law provides that such a request may be deemed to have been granted as provided by the rating Act no 21 of 2018.
Meanwhile, Petauke Town Council Director of Planning and Acting Council Secretary, Ms Sibeso Muimui, welcomed stakeholders and encouraged them to take an active interest in the valuation exercise.
Ms Muimui clarified that the Council was not undertaking a new valuation roll, but updating the existing one, which expired in 2024.
She said the expired valuation roll covered approximately 5,000 properties, while the updated roll is expected to capture about 7,000 properties, following the growth of Petauke District.
Ms Muimui therefore called on members of the public to participate actively and cooperate with Council officers during the exercise.
During the meeting, stakeholders raised concerns over what they described as limited engagement between the Council and members of the public on matters affecting the district.
Participants welcomed the engagement and expressed hope that it would mark the beginning of increased interaction and collaboration between the Council and residents.
In response, Council officials encouraged stakeholders and members of the public to attend meetings whenever they are called, stating that public participation is essential to effective local governance and development.
Petauke Chamber of Commerce representative, Mr Donald Sakala, thanked the Council for organising the meeting and sought clarification on how property owners without plot numbers, particularly those in unplanned areas, would be considered during the valuation exercise.
The Council provided clarification on the procedures that would be followed in dealing with properties in unplanned settlements
Giving a vote of thanks, Mr Mwelwa Tembo thanked the stakeholders and Council officials for participating in the engagement.
Mr Tembo said development requires partnership between the Council, residents and other stakeholders.
He added that Petauke has continued to grow, making it necessary to broaden the property rate base to enable the Council to generate more revenue and respond to the increasing demand for public services.
Petauke Town Council has since reaffirmed its commitment to engaging stakeholders and residents throughout the process of updating the expired Property Valuation Roll.
๐ท๐ป๐ช ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐
