Residents' Voices - Issue 57

Registering to vote tedious

The Registrar general’s office has been accused of making the process of registering to vote tedious thus compromising the democratic process in the country. The electorate has said that the process of registering should not be cumbersome; instead officials should be professional and duteous. Some residents have complained that they spend hours queuing only to be sent away without being attended to for one reason or another. Others have suggested that the government should embark on mobile voter registration projects like the ones where they were issuing national identity documents and moved across the whole country to ensure that they reach every citizen.

 School levies unjustified

Parents and guardians with children attending Hillside Junior and Henry Low Primary Schools have passed complaints over the increase of the schools’ levies. One guardian with a grandchild at Hillside Junior School said that early this year the schools increased its levy from $20 to $46 while the fees remained at $10. The move was seen by most as aimed at incorporating $20 that goes towards the teachers’ incentives. Affected parents and guardians said that $46 levy comprises of $6 that goes towards sports, teachers’ incentive of $20 and another $20 for the school levy. Parents have said that the teachers’ incentive cannot take up almost 50% of the levy paid for each pupil at the school. Meanwhile, parents with children at Henry Low Primary School said they are appalled by the fact that children whose fees or levies are not fully paid do not receive reports at the end of the school term and the parents are not attended to on consultation day. The parents and guardians also said that along with the levy pegged at $20 and $10 fees they also have to pay $5 every month for each pupil. Residents have argued that these levies are unjustified especially considering most people earn salaries that are below the poverty datum line while most are unemployed but cannot neglect their children right to education. Headmasters and school development committees have been urged to consider the plight of residents when stipulating fees.

BPRA to hold Service Delivery Conference

BPRA is set to host a Service Delivery Conference under the theme The Right to Know. The conference will be held on Sunday 11 September 2011 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Hall 2 from 8am to 430pm. The main objective of the conference is to promote local democracy through transparency and accountability in service delivery. The conference, which shall bring together 2 000 residents from the 29 wards of the city of Bulawayo shall provide a platform for residents to engage with officials from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Tel-One and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).

These officials are expected to report to the residents on what their institutions are doing to improve their services and the livelihood of Bulawayo residents, while the residents will also be given an opportunity to ask questions during plenary sessions.