Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association held its service delivery conference on Sunday 11 September 2011 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. The Conference, attended by more than 2000 residents’ leaders from the structures of the association, was meant to provide a platform for interaction between residents and service providers. This is in fulfilment of the mandate of the association which is to ensure full participation of residents in issues of service delivery as a way of ensuring transparency and accountability. Residents got the opportunity to interact with service providers from TelOne, ZESA, and Bulawayo City Council. Also in attendance were civic society leaders from Crisis Coalition, Bulawayo Agenda, ZESN, ZCTU, National Youth Development Trust, Professional Drivers Association, ZICEA, representatives from political parties, councillors, Members of Parliament and residents associations namely Combined Harare Residents Association, Gwanda Municipality Ratepayers Association, Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association, Plumtree Residents Association and Bulawayo United Residents Association. The following is a summation of issues raised by residents against service providers and the commitments made by the different service providers.
| Issues Raised by Residents | Commitments made by Service provider | Action to be taken by BPRA |
| TelOne · Disconnection of lines · Unavailability of TelOne facilities in some wards · Unclear billing system | · If residents approach the offices and make payment plans, they will be reconnected. · Efforts are being made to ensure that the whole of Bulawayo has access to TelOne lines. · Residents with billing problems should approach TelOne staff for clarification on their bills. · Charging no interest on overdue accounts, telephone extensions and reconnection fees ( to be reviewed when the economy stabilizes), | · Make follow up consultative meetings to map/monitor commitments and resolutions made by TelOne. · Gather grievances and complaints raised by residents and engage TelOne · Mobilise residents to monitor TelOne. |
| B.C.C · Failure to follow the monthly schedule of refuse collection. · Disconnection of Water for residents · Ownership of houses for Mabuthweni and Pelandaba residents · Engagement of debt collectors to deal with debts from residents · Council should budget for more dams and resuscitation of recreational facilities · Council should stop harassment and ensure viability of informal trading. · Why is maternity fees still charged at $50 instead of the $30 mentioned by the mayor? | · A proper refuse collection schedule to be produced and distributed to residents through the structures of the association. · Residents need to make payment plans with council staff prior to reconnection. · Council will debate it upon receipt of official correspondence from the residents and local councilor. · Improving the frequency of refuse collection to at least twice a month compared to once a month which BCC is currently capacitated to do. · Residents should push for the resuscitation of recreational facilities in the budget. · Cushioning the plight of those who lose their jobs to closing companies by providing them with vending stalls · Immediately attending to the problem of maternity fees. | · BPRA shall distribute refuse collection schedules and monitor the local authority. · BPRA shall organize ward consultative meetings to encourage residents to make payment plans. · A special meeting to discuss the ownership of houses in ward 13 shall be organized to come up with a clear action plan. · BPRA to produce a document on the council’s budget priorities. · Keeping track of new vending stalls to be availed by council. · Monitoring compliance by council staff |
| ZESA · Return the thermal power station to the local authority · Corruption by ZESA officials · The winter load shedding schedule was availed. Why is the summer one not being availed considering that electricity consumption is low during this time of the year. · Disconnection of electricity · Unavailability of electricity in places such as Emganwini and Cowdray Park. · Flawed billing system | · The return of the Bulawayo Thermal Power Station to the Bulawayo City Council is a policy issue which residents need to push at policy not implementation level. · Task-force teams should be set up to ensure that ZESA and residents thwarts corrupt ZESA officials · Load shedding schedules will be produced and when they are changes they shall be communicated. · Residents need to come to ZESA offices to make arrangement for payments. · Making special provisions for the elderly who come forward to make payment arrangements depending on how much they can afford to pay. · Work shall begin in the next 6 months to ensure that there is electricity throughout Bulawayo. · Setting up a gas power station in Lupane which is part of an extension drive to provide adequate energy in the country. · Installing 2 additional machines in each of the country’s 5 power-generating stations (Bulawayo, Hwange, Kariba, Munyati and Harare). · ZESA is working on making sure that everybody uses a prepaid meter | · Residents shall mobilize MPs to push for the retaining of the Bulawayo Thermal Power station. · BPRA shall arrange meetings to alert residents on the hazards of bribing ZESA officials. · BPRA, through its ward committees shall monitor the timetable · BPRA shall organize meetings to encourage residents to pay bills no matter how little it can be. · Constant engagement with ZESA shall be maintained to ensure fair billing and availability of electricity. |
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