BY SILAS NKALA BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) plans to renovate a house in the sprawling Emganwini suburb and turn it into a makeshift clinic because the local authority has no budget for the construction of a proper health facility in the area.
The plan comes after the Bulawayo Residents Association (Bura) and the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) petitioned the local authority over lack of health facilities in the suburb.
Emganwini is the only suburb in the city without a council clinic.
Bura and BPRA have since approached the constituency legislator Phelela Masuku requesting assistance under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to construct a clinic.
Masuku promised to facilitate the release of $3,8 million under CDF towards the construction of the clinic, but council said the money was insufficient.
“After consultation with the director of housing and community services (Dictor Khumalo), the department had established that the cost of constructing a clinic was US$3 million, hence $3,8m was insufficient to complete the project,” the BCC minutes read.
“The director of housing and community services further advised that constructing the clinic in stages was costly because there were overhead costs that could be incurred including security costs.
“The advice from the director of housing and community services was that the Emganwini clinic project had not been included in the devolution funds allocated for the 2022 project, hence it is prudent to channel resources to a project that could be completed such as a satellite clinic.”
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After further consultation, city fathers agreed to identify a house for renovation into a makeshift clinic.
“Once the renovations were completed the house would be turned into a makeshift clinic. The CDF had timelines. A resolution was needed urgently. Thereafter it was resolved that consideration of the matter regarding construction of Emganwini Clinic be deferred pending more information,” the minutes added.
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