BULAWAYO residents say they are looking forward to mature people as councillors, including those prepared to put aside party politics and serve the people.
BY TALENT GUMPO
The MDC Alliance’s 29-member council body saw 16 new councillors being elected into office in the just-ended elections, while 13 retained their posts.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, the Bulawayo Residents’ Association (Bura) chairperson, Winos Dube said: “We expect the new team to show diligence in their work. Their focus should be on delivering a better service for the residents, coming up with innovative ways of bringing about development that will better the city.”
Dube said the new team should steer clear of corruption and respect for ratepayers. He also ridiculed some members of the previous body for being corrupt and greedy. “We do not want people who come into public offices with the goal of enriching themselves. That was the problem with some of the councillors in the previous team,” he said.
“Some councillors were suspended for abusing their positions and swindling residents of their money through the unlawful selling of housing stands. The new crop must understand that they were elected to serve and not to enrich themselves.”
Dube said residents expected the new councillors to attend meetings by residents in order to get acquainted with their plight, saying previous councillors would dodge residents’ meetings.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association secretary, Ambrose Sibindi echoed similar sentiments, saying residents were not going to watch while councillors stole ratepayers’ hard-earned cash.
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“The new crop of councillors must understand that their duty is to improve service delivery. We do not expect them to be fingered in corruption, we will not sit and clap hands while they rob us and they must put their hands-off housing stands − there is no room for corruption in Bulawayo,” Sibindi said.
