Zanu-PF aspiring councillor for Bulawayo Ward 9, Lovemore Mnyamana has pledged to utilise the ward retention fund to revamp the community library and youth centres to benefit young people in the area.
The fund was established in 2015 by the Bulawayo City Council where each ward retains 3 percent of its monthly rates revenue collection to fund developmental programmes in their area.
Mnyamana shared his plan during an election debate meeting hosted by CITE, BPRA and Habakkuk Trust, in Matshobana, Friday.
The candidates were interfacing with residents and presenting their manifestos.
Former junior senator for the Mpopoma Constituency Bradley Ncube said youth centres and the library were in a deplorable state and sought to find out from the aspiring councillors their plans for revamping these places.
“Our facilities as young people are dilapidated. The library has deteriorated. The books are outdated. We now use phones and computers for research, we would be grateful if the library could have wi-fi. The youth centre no longer has windows and no fence. It has just been abandoned,” he said.
Mnyamana said if voted into office he will make use of the retention funds to revamp the youth centres and the library.
“Mpopoma library needs attention. There is no toilet, children who go there use the public toilet close by. There is a need to have proper ablution facilities. We also need to put relevant material in the library. We need books for the new curriculum, we need to set up Wi-Fi so that learners who do CALA can access the internet and do their schoolwork. We will use the ward retention fund to address these challenges,” he said.
Other residents raised concerns over uncollected litter that is accumulating in their ward. They said there are too many illegal dumping sites that have mushroomed in the community, and they are exposed to health risks.
Another resident complained about the shortage of treated water forcing to rely on unsafe water sources.
“We now rely on wells and boreholes which are unsafe water sources. There are also burst sewer pipes, a combination of these two is disastrous. Some of our community members are people with disabilities, they struggle when there are sewer bursts and no water as well. We need this to be looked into,” she said.
CCC candidate and sitting councillor Donaldson Mabuto explained that in 2019 about 602 houses in Matshobana had sewer pipes replaced and a number of churches drilled boreholes to address these challenges.
Philisani Ncube of LEAD and Jubert Mangena of Freedom Alliance both promised to rid the suburb of garbage and to push for permanent solutions to burst sewer pipes.
