THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has begun distributing a percentage of funds collected in rates payments every month to various wards in the city for development projects.
BY NIZBERT MOYO
The BCC recently proposed returning 3% of rates funds collected from each ward every month for road maintenance works, among other development initiatives.
In a feedback meeting held at Senzangakhona Primary School last week in Emganwini high de-sity suburb last week, councillor Norman Hlabani confirmed the ward 26 area had received the 3% retention funds.
“As a follow up to the meeting held last month, which highlighted critical challenges such as the building of toilets for vendors, road humps, drilling of boreholes, I want to announce that ward 26 (Emganwini) has been given $18 000 for the development of the ward. It is up to the residents to decide which projects to undertake first,” he said.
In the meeting, residents agreed to drill boreholes first as a matter of urgency, especially in anticipation of water-rationing expected to take place soon in Bulawayo.
Speaking at the same meeting, Nketa-Emganwini legislator, Phelela Masuku, commended BCC for coming up with this “noble idea” to encourage residents to pay their bills to boost development in their areas.
“I want to thank BCC for introducing this development fund. It is a similar fund that we, as MPs, are supposed to get from the government for constituency development, but it has been four years now since we last got it,” he said.
