Press Release - Mayor's Comments on Emganwini Demonstration Disturbing

Press Release - 30 October 2012

Date:               30 October 2012

Contact:         Emmanuel Ndlovu

                        Programmes and Advocacy Manager

                        Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

            Mayor’s Comments on Emganwini Demonstration Disturbing

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) is concerned that the Mayor of Bulawayo, Thaba Moyo does not understand his mandate as the Mayor of the city as witnessed by his response to the demonstration that was held by residents from the Millennium Housing Area in Emganwini last week. The residents on Friday 26 October 2012 stormed Nketa Housing Office demanding ownership of the houses that were built by Australian donors and allocated to them 10 years ago. They called for an explanation from the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) arguing that in their understanding the houses were completely paid for hence they did not understand why they have to pay monthly rentals over and above service charges. In his response, the Mayor reportedly said the local authority was not going to do “anything until they (the residents) talk to us (the local authority) using proper channels.” He also reportedly argued that the houses were “specifically for renting purposes.”

BPRA believes that Mayor Moyo was out of order in making the above statements. It is the association’s belief that the local authority, and particularly the Mayor and councillors are in their positions at the behest of the residents and should focus on addressing the concerns of the residents. For the Mayor to boldly declare in a national newspaper that the local authority will not respond to the residents’ concerns is a sign of arrogance and is tantamount to negligence of duty. BPRA sees the Mayor’s remarks as emblematic of a culture of self importance and arrogance that characterises holders of public office in the country who fail to prioritise the interests of the masses because they develop a god complex once they get into positions of power. BPRA would like to remind holders of public office such as Mayor Moyo that they were voted into their offices by the residents and should always thrive to work in the interests of the residents and avoid putting their egos in the way of developmental work.

It is the association’s contention that the concerns raised by the residents of Emganwini’s Millennium Housing Scheme are genuine and need to be urgently addressed by BCC. For the Mayor to say the residents used improper channels is neither here nor there as the message in the petitions and the placards they were waving was clear. BPRA believes BCC should put its ego aside and address the residents as quickly as possible.

Regards

............................................................

Emmanuel Ndlovu

Programmes Manager

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

Residents Call for BCC Water Bowsers

Weekend Meetings Review – 29/10/2012

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) yesterday (Sunday 28 October 2012) held two meetings to discuss the water crisis in Bulawayo where some residents revealed that they were only receiving water for periods of less than an hour each week. The meetings were held in Mpopoma (ward 9) and Nkulumane (ward 23) where residents got an opportunity to dialogue with their respective councillors on the current water situation in the city. Speaking at the meeting held in ward 9, residents of Matshobane complained that they seldom have water as they are located on high ground, and often go for as long as one week without water, with the water only coming for about forty five minutes once a week. They said what made matters worse was that the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) bowser that brings water to the area parks in Mpopoma where water supply is stable, further worsening the plight of Matshobana residents as they have to compete for water with Mpopoma residents. In Nkulumane, residents similarly said they were going for long periods without water and called upon BCC to avail water in bowsers to the area to ensure that residents at least have enough water to meet basic needs.

BCC has previously acknowledged that areas on higher ground are being affected more by water shedding due to gravity. Thus while water may be turned on as stipulated in the city council water shedding timetable, some areas do not receive even a drop of water by the time water is closed again for the next round of water shedding. While BPRA is aware that Bulawayo is facing a grave water situation that necessitates extended water shedding, the association is appalled that the local authority is not putting any measures in place to ensure that all residential areas get at least enough to meet basic requirements. As it stands, the rights of residents to access clean drinking water is being denied in many parts of the city. BPRA once again calls upon BCC to avail water bowsers in areas on high ground that are going for water shedding for longer periods than stipulated in the current water shedding timetable. So far, BPRA is aware that these areas are found in suburbs such as Njube, Matshobana, Old Magwegwe, Nkulumane 12, Entumbane, Emganwini and Pumula South.  

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Website: www.bulawayoresidents.org

Twitter: @byopra

Facebook: www.facebook/uhlelo.lwezakhamizi

Blog: bprainfo.blogspot.com

   

Emganwini Residents Demonstrate Against BCC

Residents Voices – Issue 84  (26 October 2012)

Residents, mostly elderly women, demonstrating against the
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) this morning. 

DOZENS of residents from Emganwini’s Millenium Housing Scheme area in Bulawayo this morning besieged Nketa Housing Offices demanding title deeds for the houses they occupy and protesting the monthly rentals they are paying. After the demonstration, they left letters addressed to Bulawayo Mayor, Councilor Thaba Moyo, Town Clerk Middleton Nyoni and the city’s Director of Housing and Community Services, Isaiah Magagula stating their demands. A copy of the letter was also forwarded to the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA).

In the letter, the residents said they felt aggrieved by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) which they accused of fleecing them by demanding payment for houses whose cost they said  was covered by donors. They argued that the Millennium Housing Scheme was aimed at improving the livelihood of poor residents who were living in squalor at Sidojiwe Hostels following intervention by donors who financed the whole project. The residents thus argued that they were not meant to be paying rentals for the houses, since the cost of the houses was covered by donors, not the local authority.

In interviews during the demonstration, the residents revealed that they had resorted to staging a demonstration after efforts to engage in dialogue with the Mayor on the issue proved fruitless.

“We held a meeting with the Mayor more than a month ago, and he promised that he would facilitate a meeting between us (Emganwini Millenium Housing residents’ leaders) and BCC officials including himself, the director of housing and the director of financial services. He said he was going to contact us, but until now, we haven’t heard from him,” said one of the residents’ leaders who declined to be named. “This demonstration is therefore an attempt to get the attention of the council on this issue, so that something is done to immediately solve the problem,” she said.

The residents revealed that they had accrued massive bills due to the monthly rentals they pay over and above service charges, which are pegged at $42 per month. As a result, they said most of them had had their water disconnected on numerous occasions and lived in fear of having their property seized by the local authority for failure to pay the rentals.

While BPRA does not have BCC’s side on the issue, the association is taking the demands of the residents seriously and believes that it is important for BCC to move swiftly towards addressing the concerns of the residents. BPRA is concerned that there seem to be information gaps on the handling of the Millenium Housing Scheme in Emganwini which could have compromised transparency and accountability in the scheme. The association thus calls upon BCC to immediately avail information on what the Millenium Housing Scheme entailed and also address the residents of Emganwini on their concerns.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Website: www.bulawayoresidents.org

Twitter: @byopra

Facebook: www.facebook/uhlelo.lwezakhamizi

Blog: bprainfo.blogspot.com

Residents Call for Funds for Completion of Matabeleland Projects

Bulawayo is facing a debilitating water crisis while the Matabeleland Zambezi
 Water Project (MZWP), which is touted as as lasting solution to
Matabeleland's water problems  remains a pipe dream

RESIDENTS of Bulawayo and surrounding areas have called upon the Finance Ministry to avail funds for the completion of outstanding projects in the region. The residents were making contributions at a 2013 budget consultative meeting hosted by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment at the Small City Hall in Bulawayo last week. The residents called for allocation of funds for the completion of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP), Nkayi Road and the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport. These calls come at a time when Bulawayo is facing a debilitating water crisis characterised by official water shedding for 72 hours a week in all residential areas while some suburbs such as Old  Magwegwe, Emganwini, Mpopoma and Njube go for longer periods without water. It is also a time when construction at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo has been ongoing for several years while air travellers use a hangar that was converted into a temporary checking point ages ago.

Residents said it was time the government completed the projects in the interest of the welfare of the people of Bulawayo and Matabeleland. They argued that the MZWP was the only solution to the water woes facing Bulawayo while completion of the airport was necessary as it was the gateway to the city and essential for economic activity as it would facilitate travel into the city by potential investors. Other issues that were raised by residents included the need for the government to allocate adequate funds to the health, education, mining and agricultural sectors as they are central to improving economic development in the country and addressing unemployment.

Activists in Matabeleland have for a long time argued that the region was marginalised by the government. A plethora of projects initiated by the government remain incomplete in the region. These include the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, Nkayi Road, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the MZWP and Lupane State University (LSU). The region has also been gravely affected by rapid de-industrialisation characterised by closure of companies and laying off of workers. The government has been accused of lacking political will towards addressing all these issues.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Meetings on Constitution in Pictures

Alert - BPRA Holds meetings on Constitution

Residents following proceedings at one of the meetings on the
constitution on Saturday 13 October 2012

BULAWAYO PROGRESSIVE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (BPRA) has launched meetings designed to take the draft constitution to the residents of Bulawayo and give them a platform to express their views on the contents of the document. The meetings, which are being addressed by Members of Parliament (MPS) and Civil Society Organisation (CSO) representatives, are aimed at ensuring that the residents of Bulawayo get an understanding of what is contained in the COPAC draft constitution and make informed choices when the referendum is held. The meetings also aim at harnessing the views of residents so that they can be espoused on their behalf by CSOs and other stakeholders at the second all stakeholders’ conference that is imminent. The meetings are in line with BPRA’s belief that there should always be widespread consultation of residents in the development of policies that affect their livelihoods to ensure that policies match the wishes of the people.

The first batch of meetings held under this series were held this past weekend (13 and 14 October 2012) in Njube (ward 14), Luveve (ward 15), Pumula (ward 19) and Emakhandeni (ward 11). Members of Parliament Honourables Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo, Reggie Moyo and Albert Mhlanga attended the meetings to address residents on the constitution making process and the contents of the draft constitution.  Also present were CSO leaders including Mr Effie Ncube of Matabeleland Constitutional Reform Agenda (MACRA), Ms Anastasia Moyo of the Centre for Women’s Action and Rev Useni Sibanda of the Christian Alliance. One recurrent issue raised by residents was on the need for devolution of power to be enshrined in the final constitution to ensure that all regions in Zimbabwe gain control of their development projects and develop equitably. Residents also expressed fears that the ZANU PF constitution which essentially seeks to reverse democratic strides in the constitution would also be tabled at the second all stakeholders’ conference. They were however assured that according to COPAC, only the COPAC draft will be discussed at the conference.

Note: BPRA will be continuing with the meetings on the constitution until the referendum is held. Timely updates on those meetings will be provided.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Website: www.bulawayoresidents.org

Blog: bprainfo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @byopra

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/uhlelo.lwezakhamizi

BPRA to step up use of social networking sites

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) is stepping up its social networking campaign as a means to increase the reach of the information it disseminates and promote citizen participation in local governance. This is in line with the association’s belief that citizen participation in discourses on service delivery and local governance is important in ensuring that the socio-economic needs of residents are considered in the day to day operations of the national and local authorities. This follows a week long social media training workshop hosted by OSISA in Magaliesburg, South Africa which was attended by the BPRA Information Manager, Mr Zibusiso Dube. Among issues leant at the workshop was how to link various social networking sites for enhanced reach to stakeholders, and how to manage content on the sites for maximum impact.

The social networking sites, encompassing Facebook, twitter, blogger, YouTube and possibly Picasa will be aimed at serving three key functions. Firstly, availing residents with critical information pertaining to service delivery and local governance. Secondly, to provide platforms for residents to share their views and wishes on service delivery and governance issues. And lastly, to act as tools to bring to the fore anomalies in service delivery and execution of public mandates by holders of public office in order to promote accountability in their operations. The use of social networks as important communication tools comes after a realisation that they are a good medium to reach to the youth, who most often constitute a sizeable portion of the populace and are generally apathetic when it comes to issues of governance and service delivery.

Importantly, the social networking sites will allow the association to employ use of multiple media forms – text, video and images – to communicate with residents, and they will enable two way communication between BPRA and its various stakeholders. The association therefore calls upon residents, partners and other stakeholders to participate in the online discourses on critical issues affecting the lives of not only the residents of Bulawayo, but Zimbabweans at large.

A stream of sewage in front of the public library and Zimdef building in Bulawayo's Central Business District

Alert – BPRA Weekend Activities (6 & 7 October 2012)

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) will on Saturday this weekend (6 October 2012) be holding two consultative meetings at Lobengula Hall in Ward 14 and Inzwananzi Primary School in Gwabalanda (ward 16) to discuss the water situation in Bulawayo. The meetings will provide residents in the areas with an opportunity to discuss their views on the water crisis with their councillors and BPRA representatives. BPRA is engaged in a campaign on the water crisis that is meant to ensure that residents are aware of the graveness of the water crisis in Bulawayo and act to conserve water. The campaign also aims at pressuring BCC and the government to act to solve the water crisis and prevent outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid, while acting as a conduit for the airing of the views of residents on the issue. The campaign includes monitoring of the water situation in the city and its effects on the lives of residents, and dissemination of information to residents on the gravity of the situation

The schedule for the activities is as follows:

Consultative meetings on Bulawayo’s Water Crisis

Date	Ward and Area	Venue	Time
Sat 6 Oct 2012	Ward 16 – Gwabalanda	Inzwananzi Primary School	2pm to 5pm
Sat 6 Oct 2012	Ward 14 – Lobengula	Lobengula Hall	2pm to 5 pm

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Alert - Pumula South, Emganwini residents call for electricity

BULAWAYO residents have expressed concerns that Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is failing to supply some residential areas with electricity, many years after their houses were built. There are many suburbs in Bulawayo that have spent  many years without electricity. Pumula South (Phase 2) residents complained that they have spent more than eight years without electricity. The residents revealed that they had even paid some money towards erection of poles for electricity cables more than three years ago, but to date no action has been taken by the power utility company to avail them with power. The residents also reported that last year ZESA employees came and collected transformers in their area and connected them to another Pumula South section that now has electricity. Residents said this was raising suspicions of corruption in the operations of ZESA as it seems to be giving preference to other residents. The residents expressed concerns that unavailability of electricity had led to many accidents in the area with people losing property to fires caused by candles and paraffin stoves.

In Emganwini, residents resettled under the Millennium Housing Scheme have faced similar challenges to those faced by Pumula South residents. The residents have spent eight years without electricity. The residents told Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) that they are spending as much as three dollars per day on firewood, or opt to look for firewood at the nearby bushes, which is illegal and warrants a fine from local authority employees. The residents also said young girls were exposed to sexual abuse in the bushes while looking for firewood.

BPRA therefore calls upon ZESA to make an effort to ensure that all residential areas that do not have access to electricity are connected. The ZESA authorities have to make sure that they distribute the available electricity in the country fairly among residents as electricity is a necessity for all in a modern society.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729