Aspiring candidates for Bulawayo’s Ward 19 have vowed to improve service delivery in the area should they be elected into office.
The Ward is among seven vacant wards set to hold council by-elections on March 26 following the recall of Alderman Clayton Zana.
Four candidates are vying for the seat: Peter Ncube (MDC-A), Christopher Dube (CCC), Felix Adam Pambano (ZAPU) and Ntando Moyo (ZANU-PF).
Speaking during an Election Debate Series hosted by CITE in collaboration with Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), the candidates who all have a history of community work said they are ready for office to represent the needs of the people.
Ncube said he has been involved in community work with the council in various structures to ensure service delivery for Pumula residents.
He noted that the council does not have enough money to fund projects hence he will try and find donors who are going to assist financially on priority services.
Christopher Dube of CCC narrated that he has been doing voluntary work on men’s forums to fight issues of GBV in the community and he is the current SDC secretary-general at Robert Sinyoka school.
Dube said he aims to address the issue of devolution of funds, citing that the local authority is slacking in service delivery because of the centralisation of funds.
Pambano, who has led BURA over the years, said he has a passion for the education sector as he served in the sector for 40 years.
He said if elected into office he will work on ensuring that burst sewer pipes are attended to promptly and ensure that the process of acquiring title deeds for houses is quickened.
Moyo, who is a member of BURA, said he has worked with residents on issues of service delivery since the age of 20.
He said his priority project would be to ensure refuse collection to make Bulawayo clean.
