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Bulawayo
Agenda activity update
Bulawayo Agenda
October 07, 2013
State
of the Community Forum-Plumtree
Over Seventy citizens
from Plumtree thronged Tjinyunyi Babili Community Hall to attend
a State of the Community Forum organized by Plumtree Agenda, a chapter
of Bulawayo Agenda on the 2nd of October, 2013. The discussants
for the meeting were Councilor Connelius Nyathi (Ward 1 MDC-T),
Similo Ndlovu (Ward 3 MDC-T) and the losing and former Member of
Parliament for Bulilima East Constitutency, Norman Mpofu.
Service
delivery
Residents bemoaned the
local authority’s failure to ensure timely refuse collection
around the town. The council has one tractor that is used for this
purpose and Councilor Nyathi indicated that it had a breakdown and
had to be taken to Bulawayo for service. As a result the council
could not collect refuse in the past three weeks. Accounting for
the failure, Nyathi, stated that the tractor was back and business
will resume as usual.
Debt
cancellation
Plumtree residents hailed
the cancellation of debts by local authorities arguing that they
had become a burden that was inherited from the Zimbabwean dollar
period. They also argued that most people are unemployed and some
are ageing and as a result they could not afford to pay the unjustified
rates which were being charged by the council authorities.
However, Mpofu warned
that residents should not celebrate because this directive is going
to negatively impact on service delivery. Instead, he suggested
that the government should have considered cancelling debts for
the elderly only because these are the people who cannot genuinely
afford to pay the bills.
Empowerment
and job creation
Women present in the
meeting called for the local council to empower small scale entrepreneurs
in the town by issuing out more business stands and partnering with
donors for financial support. They also indicated that they had
been promised a special fund for women empowerment in the district
during election campaign. Cnclr Ndovu warned that they should guard
against people who come and promise them big projects in exchange
for votes then disappear.
Constituency
Development
The councilors outlined
their developmental plans against which residents must judge them
at the end of their terms. Clr Nyathi pledged to tackle the town’s
water crisis, improve road networks and facilitate empowerment of
small scale business people in his ward. Clr Ndlovu prioritized
the electrification of Hlalani Kuhle houses and George Silundika
suburb, refurbishment of the town’s sewer system and ensuring
quality service delivery.
An invitation was extended
to Zanu-PF House of Assembly representative for Bulilima East, Mathius
Siqhoza Ndlovu and the party’s councilor for Ward 2 Maxwell
Washaya but the two excused themselves.
Visit the Bulawayo
Agenda fact sheet
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