Alert -BPRA Past Weekend Activities Report (27 & 28 April 2013)

BULAWAYO’s water crisis, the city’s faulty billing system, and failure by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to collect refuse regularly dominated meetings organised by Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) this past weekend (27 and 28 April 2013). The meetings, which were held in Old Pumula, Nkulumane, Entumbane and Mpopoma, were aimed at providing platforms for residents to engage in critical discussions with service providers, councillors and members of parliament. In Mpopoma residents got an opportunity to be appraised by their member of parliament, Samuel Sandla Khumalo on how he utilised the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to develop the region. The ire of the residents was drawn as they were not impressed by what he had to tell them.

Other issues that were raised at the meetings include:

-          Residents complained that their water bills were inflated as they were high despite the fact that they spend three days a week without water. They said it was imperative for BCC to rectify its billing system as residents were being unfairly charged penalties, having their water disconnected and even having their properties seized on the basis of estimated bills. Councillor Rafemoyo in Nkulumane acknowledged that Bulawayo’s billing system was flawed and encouraged residents who receive abnormally high bills to seek redress at the local authority’s offices.

-          Residents were also appraised on Bulawayo’s water situation, with Councillors reminding them of Bulawayo’s dire water situation and encouraging them to use water sparingly. They informed residents that water shedding would continue since the city’s dams did not receive significant inflows during the2012/2013 rain season.

-           Residents alleged that Child Protection Committees (CPCs) were corrupt hence they were not useful as means to identify beneficiaries for social welfare programmes such as the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). Residents alleged that most people who benefit from such programmes were friends or relatives of members of the CPCs.

-          Concerns were raised at the meetings that Bulawayo was no longer clean, with rubbish strewn all over the place. Residents in Nkulumane revealed that they had resolved to hold a clean-up exercise in their ward on 25 May 2013. Residents said it was imperative for every resident to play his/her part towards maintaining the cleanliness of Bulawayo through refraining from littering.

-          Residents accused BCC of disconnecting water from residents with arrears even in situations where a payment plan has been made. They said this was insensitive arguing that BCC should realise that people have difficulty paying their bills because of high unemployment and low remunerations.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

Blog: bprainfo.blogspot.com

Website: www.bulawayoresidents.org

BCC Disconnects Water from Hawkflight Houses

Residents voices - Issue 90

 16 April 2013

THE problems being faced by the residents of Pelandaba West have worsened after the community consisting of over 100 households had its water disconnected by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) over an unpaid water bill, raising fears of disease outbreaks. The area has no boreholes, and residents are in a dilemma as people in neighbouring suburbs are reluctant to give them water due to fears that their monthly consumption will skyrocket leading to untenable bills. Pelandaba West was constructed recently by Hawkflight Construction and the area has a bulk water meter under the name of the construction company. The meter, that supplies all the houses in the area, has accrued a bill of $20 900. Residents blame BCC and Hawkflight Construction of failing to manage the construction project well leading to the current problems. While the issue is complicated, what is clear is that the account that has been disconnected, which belongs to stand number 1599 Pelandaba West, is under the name of Hawkflight Construction, which indicates that it is the company that has neglected to settle the bill leading to water being disconnected.

Problems in Pelandaba West began in March this year when the residents received uniform letters from Hawkflight Construction informing them that they had to pay amounts of $345.95 each or have their water disconnected. At the time, the residents accused Hawkflight Construction of working in cahoots with uncouth elements in BCC to fleece them of their hard earned cash. Part of the letter which the residents received reads: “Please note that your water is billed under a bulk meter and it has remained unpaid since you took occupation of your house. You are now required to settle your portion in the amount of $324.95 to avoid disconnection. This amount is payable to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), and the account number is 540159900.” Residents viewed the letter as an anomaly since they have individual meters in their houses and had been receiving monthly utility bills from the local authority.

It has however emerged that the utility bills that the residents had been receiving from BCC did not include a charge for water consumption. All the while, Hawkflight Construction was sitting on the areas’ water bill which is charged through their bulk meter at number 1599. A BCC official yesterday (15 April 2013) confirmed that water in Pelandaba West is supplied through a bulk meter and explained that the land developer in the area is in charge of the water until a handover of the project to the local authority.

BPRA calls upon BCC and Hawkflight construction to ensure that water is reconnected in Pelandaba West as soon as possible to prevent possible outbreaks of diseases in the area and as a simple respect of the rights of the residents to access clean drinking water. The association believes that BCC should take the blame for what is happening in the area, as it is the mandate of the local authority to assume an oversight role on the operations of private land developers and ensure that the interests of residents are protected. It is BPRA’s contention that the residents should be billed individually as is standard practice to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

Regards

Information Department

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association

Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196

Cell: +263 772 516 729

www.bulawayoresidents.org

www.bprainfo.blogspot.com

BPRA Engages BCC on Alleged Hawkflight Corruption

Press Release

Date:              12 April 2013

Contact:         Emmanuel Ndlovu

                        Acting Coordinator

                        Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

BPRA Engages BCC on Alleged Hawkflight Corruption

BULAWAYO Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) is seeking answers from the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) after residents from the Pelandaba West area recently constructed by Hawkflight Construction were given parallel water bills by the construction company, raising furore from the residents who accused the company of corruption. In a letter written to the Town Clerk, Middleton Nyoni and copied to the Directors of Finance and Housing, Kimpton Ndimande and Isaiah Magagula respectively, the association seeks to know if it is true that residents from Pelandaba West are billed under a bulk meter and why they are receiving water bills from Hawkflight Construction when water provision is a mandate of BCC. According to the letter, the anomaly emerged during a consultative meeting organised by BPRA on Saturday 23 March 2013. Residents speaking during the meeting reportedly accused Hawkflight Construction of working in cahoots with corrupt elements in the local authority to fleece the residents of their hard earned cash. This was after the residents received uniform letters from Hawkflight Construction instructing them to pay amounts of $324.95 or have their water disconnected.

Part of the letter that the residents received reads: “Please note that your water is billed under a bulk meter and it has remained unpaid since you took occupation of your house. You are now required to settle your portion in the amount of $324.95 to avoid disconnection. This amount is payable to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), and the account number is 540159900.”

Residents however rubbished the assertions by Hawkflight Construction, arguing that they all had individual meters in their homesteads and received utility bills from BCC. They further indicated that the fact that they were expected to pay the same amount of water was suspicious as it was impossible for all families to use the same amount of water.

In the letter to BCC, BPRA requests an investigation by the local authority to unravel any corruption that may be taking place with regards to the operations of Hawkflight construction.

Signed

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

Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu

Acting Coordinator

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

RESIDENTS ARRESTED OVER ZESA DEMONSTRATION

Press Release

Date:               8 April 2013

Contact:         Emmanuel Ndlovu

                        Acting Coordinator

                        Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

 RESIDENTS ARRESTED OVER ZESA DEMONSTRATION

ABOUT twenty-five Bulawayo residents were early this morning (8 April 2013) arrested while staging a demonstration against the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) which they accused of unfairly recruiting from outside Bulawayo when there are many unemployed youths in the city. The residents, consisting of members of the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) ward 26 committee and members of the Mthwakazi Youth Leaders Resolution were briefly questioned at Donnington Police Station before being moved to Bulawayo Central Police Station where they were still being held at close of business today. Indications are that they may appear in court tomorrow (Tuesday 9 April 2013). While it is not clear what they were being charged with, it could possibly be demonstrating without notifying the police, which is mandatory under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) which is often cited as draconian. The police have in recent months been clamping down on freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, with prominent civil society figures and politicians being arrested. Critics have linked the clampdown to the impending elections as the state seeks to silence dissenting voices in the run-off to the plebiscite.

The residents said they staged the demonstration as they were peeved after they got wind of information that ZESA was in a massive recruitment drive for an undisclosed project covering sections of Bulawayo and Matabeleland North. They revealed that scores of people from outside Bulawayo – numbering between 300 and 500 – had been hired by the parastatal and had been camping in Emganwini suburb in Bulawayo. They argued that this was an example of marginalization of the people of Bulawayo as under normal circumstances people from the city, and those from the other areas where the project would be active should have received first preference for the jobs.

“We decided to stage a demonstration after realizing that our people were being shortchanged by the practices of ZESA,” said Mandula Ncube the BPRA ward 26 chairperson, who is part of the group that was arrested. Added Ncube: “Most of the youth in our community are unemployed and there is a high level of crime in the area due to this. Yet these people bring labour from far away as if there are no capable people here. This was our way of showing our dissatisfaction and anger with ZESA’s corruption and nepotism.”

Residents of Bulawayo and Matabeleland at large have previously bemoaned high levels of corruption and nepotism in hiring practices by public entities, most of which are headquartered in Harare. It has been argued that the people of Bulawayo and other peripheral regions were being systematically excluded from employment opportunities. BPRA has previously called for adherence to the principle of subsidiarity in hiring. The principle of subsidiarity states that issues should be dealt with at the lowest possible level and seek to benefit people at that level. The association has also been a strong advocate of devolution of power, under which hiring would not be centralized but be done at the local level to ensure that locals get employment opportunities. BPRA thus calls upon ZESA to desist from corruption and nepotism when hiring workers, and to give the local people in whichever area they are operating first preference when hiring.

BPRA is also concerned that the country continues to deny citizens freedoms of assembly and expression using draconian legislation. The association thus condemns the arrest of the residents who were engaged in a peaceful demonstration necessitated by genuine concerns.

Signed

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

Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu

Acting Coordinator

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)