RESIDENTS in some sections of Pumula South and Emganwini have gone for over eight years without electricity, a situation which has led to increased loss of property to fires as they seek alternative sources of power. Report by Staff Reporter
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) in a statement last week urged the power utility, Zesa, to connect power to the suburbs.
“Pumula South (Phase 2) residents have spent more than eight years without electricity. Some residents even paid towards the erection of poles for electricity cables more than three years ago, but to date, they still do not have any power,” BPRA said.
“In Emganwini, residents resettled under the Millennium Housing Scheme have faced similar challenges to those faced by residents in Pumula South. They have also gone for over eight years without electricity.”
The residents’ also alleged they have lost property due to fires caused by candles and paraffin stoves over the years, due to lack of electricity. “These residents are spending as much as $3 per day on firewood or they opt to look for firewood in nearby bushes, which is illegal and warrants a fine from the local authority,” BPRA said.
The residents association added that there is another dimension to the crisis.“Young girls and women were exposed to sexual abuse in the bushes while looking for firewood,” said BPRA adding that the power utility was being discriminatory in its distribution of electricity.
Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira could not be reached for comment.
