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Byo councillors apologise for delayed water utility consultations

Bulawayo councillors have apologised to the residents for failing to consult them on time regarding the proposed water utility company intended to manage the cityโ€™s water and sanitation services.

This apology came out during yesterday’s meeting with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Bulawayo on Wednesday at small city hall.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) Executive Council Chairperson, Stephen Nkomo expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of consultations.

โ€œBulawayo is not being run well these days, we have the councillors that we elected to represent us and they bring back what they said, saw and what they are doing. I donโ€™t know whether that law is no longer working. According to my knowledge, councillors have to bring resolutions made to the residents, and they bring that to the council chamber but what shocked me is that council discusses things till the end and then consult us,โ€ he said.

Nkomo also criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the utility proposal, questioning why it had been under development since 2011 without sufficient input from residents.

โ€œCant they bring us a simple proposal to us, I am shockedย aboutย this utility, they have been working on this since 2011 , and its now 2024 we donโ€™t know anything and at the end of the day they will blame us of rejecting their resolutions.โ€™

However, in response, Ward 10 councillor, Khalazani Ndlovu apologised on behalf of her fellow councillors for not consulting the residents sooner, โ€œwe thought youย ย trusted us when you elected usย  but it seems we are not doing right.โ€

โ€œI would like to apologise for all councillors in Bulawayo, we came into office in September 2023 and it is something that we already found in motion,โ€ she said.

Councillor Ndlovu said the utility company proposal has led to internal conflicts among councillors, making it difficult to proceed with proper consultations.

 โ€œWe thought  we were handling it,โ€ she said.

Ward 6 Councillor, Nkosinathi Mpofu urged residents to look beyond the surface of the utility issue.

 โ€œWe hope that you sent us because you saw that we were not fools, and when you send someone, you will be hoping that they handle certain things in a way that there will be progress. I am pleading with the residents, donโ€™t look at this at surface level, this was advised by the government in 2011. This Utility is now better because it has been explained, itโ€™s a public utility, we never said itโ€™s a private, we really fought hard and got to the extent that we agreed that if it is going to be our child and we will be monitoring it the better,โ€ he said.

Councillor Mpofu said theย cityโ€™s infrastructure is deteriorating and that the utility could help attract investment.

โ€œInvestors want to invest but the laws we have in government are not easy for them  to put money in Bulawayo, but if we have a child who can speak to another child in UK, it makes it easy for them to put in money and residents have water,โ€ she said.

โ€œLets  not be taken by the word private, its public, we now have to agree on who has to run this race amongst us so that Bulawayo can develop, we donโ€™t want to repeat the mistakes of having someone from Mutare managing Bulawayo affairs said Cllr Mpofu.

Meanwhile, ward 17 councillor, Sikhululekile Moyo shared that residents had been consulted on theย  water utility issue since 2019.

โ€œWe talked about this issue in 2019 and we used to call it ringfencing, thus the word we used most in ย around 2019 to 2023, in most consultations we used to bring it up, but in 2024 it came back as water utility. Due to the English that they were using such as commercialisation and privatisation, thus why youย  heard us saying we will halt it as council because we said these words often deceive the residents.โ€ she said.

Councillor Moyo saidย  the councillorsย ย brought the issueย in budget consultation meetings.

โ€œThe challenge that was there with the water utility was that this company VEI is going to post money and we thought  its going to privatise, it is going to benefit us by putting money.

She added that council is failing to address water issues and sewer as the money focus on different things in Bulawayo making it harder to do full works for the department ofย  water and sanitation,โ€ she said.

She added, โ€œWhat made us divided as councillors is that we had many questions that you also have but now that the government is bringing in privatisation, its important to make a decision that will be easy for Bulawayo, this stand alone utility, I havenโ€™t understood it fully, but I understandย  that it is better that what the government will bring.โ€

Senzeni Ncube

Senzeni Ncube is an accomplished journalist based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, with seven years of experience in hard news, investigative writing, fact-checking, and a keen focus on social development, mining, elections, and climate change. She has extensive expertise in reporting community service delivery issues, demonstrating a deep understanding of politics, human rights, gender equality, corruption, and healthcare. Additionally, she possesses proficiency in video production and editing and is dedicated to providing high-quality journalism that highlights crucial social matters and amplifies the voices of the community. Senzeni is known for her thought-provoking interviewing skills.

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