BY IRENE MOYO BULAWAYO residents have described the current crop of city councillors as the worst in terms of service delivery.
For many years after independence, the city council consisted of Zapu and Zanu PF councillors and the current councillors are drawn from MDC Alliance and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who joined the council after the March by-elections this year.
The city residents are furious over the councillors’ decision to award parking management to Tendy Three, which they accuse of fleecing motorists, and another decision to award Terracotta Private Limited a contract to construct the Egodini Mall, which is taking ages to complete.
Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson Winos Dube said it was disheartening to see Bulawayo city dying at the hands of the current crop of city fathers.
“Bulawayo is slowly dying and this is disheartening. One ends up questioning the calibre of our leaders in the city. It is disappointing that the leadership is failing to come up with solutions to the current challenges affecting the city,” Dube said.
“People do not have running water and they are being charged unreasonable bills while some are facing eviction. This clearly shows that the current crop of councillors does not have people at heart.”
He added that it was the first time the city’s standards and service delivery had plunged so low.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association representative Thandekile Moyo said Bulawayo City Council (BCC) had not been available to attend to residents grievances.
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“People are always going to the BCC with their grievances and in most cases, it’s either they are given excuses or councillors are not available. We are facing a water crisis and the timetable is not being followed. If we ask the councillors what is happening, they have no answers,” Moyo said.
Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights co-ordinator Khumbulani Maphosa said both residents and BCC were to blame.
“The BCC water management system has been poor for years and residents have reported leakages and faults, but nothing has been done to improve these problems. Instead, it’s getting worse,” he said.
“We have seen residents using treated water in their gardens and we can’t blame BCC for that. Residents should be aware of how to keep and save water.”
Last Monday, Bulawayo residents and the business community petitioned BCC over exorbitant parking fees.
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