Residents Voices – Issue 70 -

Residents Reject Housing Proposal

RESIDENTS of Pumula, St Peters, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist communities in Bulawayo on Wednesday 8 February 2012 rejected a project proposed by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) in conjunction with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) that aims to resettle squatters from Killarney and Trenance in the area. The project aims to provide a total of 197 housing stands, with 182 meant for squatters and 15 set aside for the residents of Pumula, St Peters, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist.

The residents rejected the proposed project primarily because they have been lobbying to be given the piece of land in question for housing stands since 1998. According to the residents, representatives from St Peters, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist have been requesting to be allocated the piece of land for housing on the basis that houses in the area are overcrowded. They said they were dismayed that they had been denied access to the land for fourteen years, only to be informed that the same piece of land was going to be given to people who are not even in Bulawayo’s housing waitlist. The residents also said they felt that the allocation of 15 stands out of the available 197 to them was a ploy to get them to accede to the project. They also raised concerns that the project could lead to a high crime rate and conflict in the area as most people in squatter camps are unemployed and not registered at the Registrar’s Office.

However, addressing the residents of the area, the City Council Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Isaiah Magagula said there was abundant space in the area and promised the residents that land would be allocated to them in the future. He also assured residents that the people to be resettled in the area had been vetted and would pose no problem.

It is not clear what course of action the city council will take as indications are that the project was approved by councillors, who failed to consult the residents. However the city council delegation, headed by Mr Magagula told the residents that the project would be reviewed to see what changes could be made to make it more acceptable to the residents of Pumula, St Peters, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist.

While Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) acknowledges the effort by the local authority to resettle squatters and commends its strategic partnerships with donor organisations in the quest to improve service provision in the city, the association believes that there should be more consultation with residents. The association believes that it is only through consultation and engagement that service delivery issues affecting residents can be dealt with.