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Residents' Voices - Issue 58
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
August 26, 2011

War veterans threaten to close company

Drill Way Company at Belmont was yesterday (25 August 2011) approached by 12 war veterans threatening to take over the company. The war veterans presented an indigenisation form and requested the company CEO to fill it. The war veterans are said to have told a Mr. Williams who co-owns the firm to fill the form as he is not a Zimbabwean national by virtue of being white. Mr. Williams advised the war veterans to come back this morning for a meeting in the presence of the company lawyers and his business partner. When departing the war veterans threatened that if the company management does not fill the form and hand over the company they will bring their own employees to work in the company and eject the current workforce. This comes at a time when BPRA has been calling for restoration of industries in the city so that masses are employed but disappointingly some individuals are taking advantage of flawed government policies to forcefully and unduly take over companies.

Residents demand reimbursements from ZESA

Bulawayo residents who contributed to the buying of transformers when the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) was cash strapped and could not replace vandalised transformers are demanding reimbursements. According to residents, it was the duty of ZESA to replace damaged transformers not that of residents. Residents however were forced to contribute to the replacing of damaged transformers in their areas because they were desperate to have electricity in their homes. At the time, ZESA was having difficulty responding to faults as thieves were siphoning oil off transformers, leading to dozens of households losing access to electricity. The parastatal was having difficulty accessing foreign currency to replace the transformers as the country was still using the Zimbabwe dollar which was faring badly and losing value on a daily basis.

Water cuts continue to irk residents

Residents of Entumbane suburb have expressed dismay with the operations of the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) after they woke up to find their taps dry this morning (26 August 2011). This is despite the fact that BCC is not engaged in any official water shedding programmes at the moment. It could however not be ascertained whether the disruption of water supplies was caused by a burst water pipe or whether it was a deliberate water cut. However residents argued that even if it was a genuine fault, it was a sign of the failure of the city council to maintain its water network. Residents said it was time the city fathers took bolder steps to revamp the city's water networks and bring a lasting solution to Bulawayo's water woes.

Residents request audit

Bulawayo residents have requested the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to publish a list of all the properties that it owns across the city. Residents said this would enable residents to know the council's revenue base and thus enable them to ascertain whether or not the council has enough funds for service provision. The request was made after council officials that were addressing residents at Mgiqika Primary School in Nketa 9 (ward 25) on Sunday 21 August 2011 said BCC was not receiving all its revenue because people using its premises are not paying up as expected. Residents asserted that the council was failing to collect its debts from its business partners and was now coming hard on residents by disconnecting water supplies for residents with debts charging rates that most residents cannot afford. The council's finance director alleged that most people procured their business premises from the municipality using 99 year leases as a result they pay very low rentals that do not contribute much to the city coffers. BPRA, in a bid to promote accountability and transparency, supports the idea of publicizing council property as this will make known BCC's revenue base.

BPRA is set to host a Service Delivery Conference under the theme The Right to Know. The conference will be held on Sunday 11 September 2011 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Hall 2 from 8am to 430pm. The main objective of the conference is to promote local democracy through transparency and accountability in service delivery. The conference shall provide a platform for residents to engage with officials from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Tel-One and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).

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