The newly appointed deputy mayor of Bulawayo, Ward 8 Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, has urged the city councillors to prioritise unity of purpose in order to advance Bulawayo’s development and service delivery.
Ndlovu made this impassioned call during his maiden speech at his swearing-in ceremony held at the council chambers on Monday.
Cllr Ndlovu was recently elected to fill the vacancy left by the recalled deputy mayor, Ward 9 Cllr Donaldson Mabuto.
In his address, Ndlovu emphasised the need for collaboration and collective effort among councillors and stakeholders to address the city’s pressing challenges.
“We have a city which needs to be cleaned. We need to have unity of purpose and work together as councillors, various stakeholders for the benefit of the whole city, not just as individuals. Let us put our heads together and work for the betterment of the city,” he stated.
Ndlovu’s call for unity echoed the sentiments of Bulawayo City Mayor, Cllr David Coltart, who also stressed the importance of cooperation among councillors, regardless of their political affiliations.
“As you correctly said, we have many challenges as we seek to lead the city. These challenges, in many respects, seem insurmountable, but we will only deliver to the residents if we work together. That starts with us as councillors. If we work together, regardless of our political affiliations, we will achieve our objectives. We need to be holistically exceptionally sober to overcome the challenges we have,” he emphasised.
Coltart further highlighted the city’s dire water crisis and the urgent need for a collective effort to address this critical issue.
“We sit here today, in this blazing heat, knowing that our dams are evaporating by the day, and we do not have an immediate short-term ability to deliver water to the residents. Our sewerage systems are still working at 20 percent, and quite frankly, if we are divided, we will not be able to overcome these challenges,” he asserted.
