Residents of Cowdray Park’s Ward 6 say they continue to face a growing public health crisis as overflowing Blair toilets discharge raw sewage onto roads, prompting renewed calls for urgent government intervention to prevent disease outbreaks and improve sanitation.
The concerns were raised on Saturday during an oversight visit by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, which toured housing projects, informal and dysfunctional settlements, sanitation projects and urban renewal initiatives in Bulawayo.
Ward 6 councillor Nkosinathi Hove-Mpofu said the sewer crisis had persisted for years despite repeated visits by government officials, with residents seeing little improvement.
The sanitation problems are part of wider infrastructure challenges affecting parts of Cowdray Park, particularly the Hlalani Kuhle housing development, where thousands of residents have lived for years without fully serviced roads, sewer reticulation or stormwater drainage.
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Although authorities have repeatedly pledged to accelerate servicing the area, progress has remained slow, leaving residents dependent on Blair toilets that are now overwhelmed after years of continuous use.
“This area has been in this crisis for several years now. The water flowing onto the roads is coming from the Blair toilets that residents are using because they are now filled to the brim,” Hove-Mpofu said.
“What we need is a progressive solution that will permanently solve this problem for the residents.”
He said the situation worsens during the rainy season, when floodwater mixes with sewage, creating serious health risks and making roads impassable.
“School children fail to access their school because the roads become flooded. The rainwater mixes with sewer water, posing a serious health risk to the children. We have even recorded extreme cases where some children have drowned in this water,” he said.
As an interim measure, Hove-Mpofu appealed for waste-removal equipment to regularly empty the overflowing Blair toilets while permanent sewer infrastructure is developed.
“Our request to the relevant authorities is that we be assisted with machines that can remove waste from the Blair toilets while we work towards installing sewer pipes and fixing our roads,” he said.
Pelandaba-Tshabalala MP Joseph Tshuma said addressing the crisis required cooperation between central government and the Bulawayo City Council rather than assigning blame.
“What we need now is to come together as the government and as the city council and establish solutions that will make the living conditions for the people of Cowdray Park better,” Tshuma said.
“We are not at a stage where we can blame either the government or the local authority. This is now everyone’s responsibility to play a role in finding solutions.
Members of the parliamentary committee also questioned the lack of progress towards establishing a proper sewer reticulation system, noting that while electricity infrastructure had been installed, there was little evidence that sewer works were imminent.
“We can see electricity poles that have been erected, showing there is progress in development. But what are we doing about the sewer systems?” one committee member asked.
“From the look of things, there are no drainage trenches and no sewer pipes in sight to show that installation will begin soon. These are the issues that require immediate attention if residents are to enjoy decent living conditions.”
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