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Residents' Voices - Issue 33
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
October 01, 2010

Water shortages are a looming health hazard

Most of Bulawayo's high density suburbs went for at least five days without tap water. This forced most residents to resort to unsafe water sources as they were driven by desperation. Most residents fear that the water situation would draw the city back to the 2008 scourge of cholera that led to the death of approximately 1400 residents in Zimbabwe. To avoid a similar situation in the future, residents propose that the city council should put back into working order all faulty boreholes. It has been said a countless number of times that the city council should not wait for crises in order to realise the need to maintain alternative sources of water.

Residents demand better service from ZESA

Residents have condemned ZESA for lacking integrity. In 2008 the service provider claimed that it could not repair faults because the Zimbabwean dollar was too weak a currency to procure the necessary equipment. ZESA went on to say that the availability of electricity will improve markedly if residents were to pay their bills in foreign currency. Almost two years down the line, residents have been paying their bills in foreign currency but sadly the parastatal's service provision has not improved at all. Residents say that ZESA's billing system is flawed and they suggest that the parastatal should clear all debts and start billing on a clean slate. ZESA's standards have dipped so low that residents have been reminded of the time when the municipality was responsible for electricity supply. Most residents were quoted as saying that they wish electricity supply would go back to being the sole responsibility of the municipality. Notwithstanding, the municipality has its flaws but ZESA has failed residents immensely.

The review of civil servants' salaries is a necessity

Residents have said that the government must prioritise the review of civil servants' salaries. This comes at a time when people have alleged that corruption is rife in the country largely because civil servants earn insufficient salaries. Most government employees tend to solicit for bribes due to the fact that their salaries are not enough to cater for their basic needs. Police officers are known to take advantage of road blocks while teachers hold strikes in protest for incentives from parents. Addressing the issue of salaries will relieve parents as they will not have to subsidise the government. For years residents have taken up the burden of the government's failure to remunerate its employees adequately.

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