Business leaders in Bulawayo have identified the shortage of water as one of the major factors deterring investment in the city.
During a discussion on opportunities and challenges for Bulawayo’s economic development at the council chambers on Tuesday, local businessman Regis Sibanda called on the business sector to focus on improving the city’s water situation.
“We need to come together and look for water solutions. The unavailability of water is affecting us in the business sector and deters potential investors from bringing their businesses here. The water cuts are also affecting our operations. We need to channel our energy towards finding solutions to address this issue,” Sibanda said.
Chief Executive Officer for Connect Water (Pvt) Ltd, Smolly Moyo, encouraged the business community to unite and engage the government to find long-term water solutions.
“We need to have such engagements more often. If we can meet at least twice a month, we can come up with our solutions. The challenge we are facing is affecting our businesses here. We need to organize ourselves, develop our solutions, and then seek government support,” Moyo said.
“The city needs more supply dams. If we do not come up with innovative ways of constructing these dams, we will be more affected. There have been discussions about the feasibility study for Glass Block Dam, which was done in 1988, but to date, it is still just a plan on paper. We must be proactive and come up with water solutions on our own.”
Ward 25 Councilor, Aleck Ndlovu, lamented the stifling legislation that is hindering economic growth and development.
“We have serious legislative challenges because most of the funds that belong to the local authority are centralised. Take vehicle licensing, for example; it is managed by ZINARA. When this money was paid directly to the local authority, we had good roads. But now, our roads have decayed. We receive very little money, in local currency, which is disbursed very late. We need access to our finances to facilitate economic development,” he said.
Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor David Coltart, echoed these sentiments, stating that the funds remitted by ZINARA are insufficient.
“We need more money from ZINARA. We are receiving ridiculous amounts. When you compare the gross collection to the amount they remit, it is clear we are getting close to nothing,” he said.
“There is also the issue of water. The government is taking forever to declare us a water crisis city while not providing funds for water services. We need to repair the pipes and construct more dams, but we do not have enough money. We asked for at least US$14 million from the government, but it is only a fraction of what we need.”
