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Residents Voices - Issue 69
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
February 02, 2012

Residents demand Police station

Residents from ward 4 in Bulawayo have implored the relevant authorities to establish a police station that will exclusively serve the area. Residents residing in Marningdale, Lockeview, Riverside, Douglasdale, Hope Fountain and Mthombothemba suburbs have gone for years without a police station within close proximity. The residents have had to report criminal cases at Hillside Police Station or in some instance at the Bulawayo Central Police station which are long distances away and lead to residents being forced to board commuter omnibuses, which is costly. Affected residents said that when there are emergencies police do not promptly attend to cases whereas on the contrary, the uniformed forces are seen frequently raiding beer halls, stalls and grocery shops leading to a belief that they are concerned with making money as opposed to ensuring the safety of the public. They said the establishment of a police station at the ward was a very important issue that should be dealt with immediately.

Residents call for equitable distribution of resources

Small scale farmers are calling for the equitable distribution of resources among farmers. This call comes after reports that state-sponsored fertilisers were given to a bulk of undeserving large scale farmers. As a result, Bulawayo residents are calling on the relevant authorities to ensure that measures are put in place to monitor the distribution of such state sponsored resources to ensure transparency and equitable distribution. BPRA proposes that a list of beneficiaries should be publicised stating the quantity received by each farmer and which region they come from. The association is concerned that the culture of marginalisation could also manifest itself in the allocation of farming inputs, leading to Matabeleland and Bulawayo not benefiting adequately. Currently, the majority of the population in Bulawayo is not formally employed while the few formally employed earn salaries that are below the poverty datum threshold. A greater number of people therefore now depend on agriculture as a source of livelihood. These people who now engage in agricultural activities should therefore also benefit from fertiliser, farming equipment and seed availed by the government and other donors.

BPRA activities for the weekend (4 and 5 February 2012)

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) will be holding consultative meetings and training workshop this weekend (4 and 5 February 2012) as part of its quest to empower Bulawayo residents in the areas of governance and service delivery. The meetings are aimed at assessing the state of service delivery in Bulawayo and will give residents the opportunity to rate various service providers and also state what improvements they expect as 2012 progresses. They will also provide a platform for councillors, Members of Parliament, Senators and other service providers to give feedback to residents on issues of service delivery. Meanwhile, training workshops will be held in wards 13, 15, 4, 25 and 26. The trainings are part of the Residents Leadership Development Programme, and residents' leaders in the wards will be trained in Participatory Budgeting and Gender Budgeting.

Below is a table showing the scheduling for the consultative meetings:

Visit the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association fact sheet

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