Press Statement - Hlalani Kuhle Should be Handled by Local Authority

The recent revelations of corruption and lack of transparency in the implementation of the Hlalani Kuhle Housing Project in Cowdray Park are a cause of concern as residents are losing their money and being deprived of housing. The fact that a single stand can be sold to more than one person, resulting in some people being sent away from their stands, denied their right to shelter and fleeced of their currency is a human rights tragedy. The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) is appalled by the situation that is unfolding in Cowdray Park, which it sees as a microcosm of the corruption and voracity that has taken root in Zimbabwe.

BPRA believes that the solution to the problem at the Hlalani Huhle Housing Project in Cowdray Park is to transfer control of the project from the government to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC). BPRA sees this as advantageous for the following reasons:

 

·         Conferring control of the project on the local authority would reduce bureaucracy and red tape that makes it easy for corruption to take place in the provision of the housing stands. In line with this, there would be more security for the money paid out by beneficiaries of the project.

·         Since BCC is the authority charged with servicing stands in Bulawayo, handing over the Hlalani Kuhle Housing Project in Cowdray Park to the authority would ensure that stands are serviced timely as the project would be prioritised as it would now belong to the local authority.

·         BCC as the local authority is closer to the people, hence its easier for the people to monitor its operations as opposed to monitoring those of the government. Handing over the project to the council would thus increase transparency and accountability in the implementation of the project.

   

·          The BCC is closer to the grassroots and thus better understands the housing problem in Bulawayo. It is in possession of the housing waiting list while the town planner is also strategically positioned within the council. This means that handing over the project to BCC would increase efficiency and ensure that deserving individuals get the stands.

·         Transferring control of the project to BCC would also deal with the problem of politicization and cronyism in the allocation of stands as local authority projects are run by technocrats as opposed to politicians. There would thus be higher chances of fairness in allocation of stands.

 Signed

Mr Rodrick Fayayo

Coordinator

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

Alert – Schools fleecing parents/guardians

School authorities in some schools in Bulawayo have begun taking advantage of the recent delivering of textbooks by the Ministry of Education, Sport Arts and Culture to swindle parents and guardians of their money. Residents have complained that some schools are demanding that each child  should pay as much as $2 which is meant for purchasing of covers for the textbooks. While acknowledging that the textbooks should be covered, residents said they were concerned that schools could be taking advantage of the donation to demand funds which could be misappropriated by school authorities. Residents argued that $2 is an exorbitant amount  considering the price of covers. They also questioned why schools were not using money from levies and other fundraising activities such as civics day to purchase the covers.

BPRA believes that the demand by schools is a microcosm of a culture that has become entrenched in Zimbabwe’s schooling system in recent years. With the advent of teachers’ incentives and the entrenchment of traditions such as fun day and civics day that are designed to raise funds, schools have become too accustomed to demanding money from parents. This is problematic because schools often demand money and then fail to account for it. While it is commendable that schools hold fundraising activities to supplement income it is regrettable that such practices are now degenerating into money making ventures for school authorities. BPRA believes that schools should be able to provide covers for the books as was the case yesteryear when schools used to provide children with exercise books, pens, pencils and other materials. 

Alert – Past weekend’s activities (4 & 5 Feb 2012)

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) this weekend held four consultative meetings and five training workshops as part of its efforts to empower the residents of Bulawayo in the areas of service delivery and local governance. The four meetings were held in Mpopoma (ward 9), Entumbane (ward 10), Nkulumane (ward 23) and Lobengula (ward 14) and discussed issues of service delivery affecting residents such as refuse collection, absence of recreational facilities, poor roads and high city council rates. Meanwhile, training workshops were held in Emabuthweni (ward 13), Emganwini (ward 26), Nketa 6 and 8 (ward 24), Nketa 7 and 9 (ward 25), and Luveve (ward 15). Participants in the workshops were trained in participatory budgeting and gender budgeting. The trainings are part of the second phase of the Residents Leadership Development Programme under which residents’ leaders in all the 29 wards in Bulawayo are being trained in participatory budgeting, gender budgeting, the Urban Council’s Act and the Environmental Management Act. During the first phase, residents were trained in leadership, local governance, peace building, elections, public policy and advocacy, and documentation.

Increased private-public partnerships imperative in Zimbabwean education

The year 2012 comes with the beginning of a new academic year, increase in school fees and levies, expensive new uniforms and an impending strike. Even though education plays a critical role in any nation’s economic, political, socio-cultural and technological development as it helps people to participate fully in society and governance, the Zimbabwean academic year has commenced with clouds of uncertainty hanging nationwide.  It is the onus of every government to avail and fund education but this responsibility is outsized and complex for the government of Zimbabwe to meet sufficiently. It is thus imperative for the government to explore alternative means of financing and affording educational services. This article will examine how public-private partnerships can help Zimbabwe meet its education goals.

Proficient and equitable access to education is proving to be elusive to many people in Zimbabwe as often low-income families, girls and other previously marginalized groups have only limited access to education. Several Sub-Saharan countries have yet to achieve universal primary education even though enrollment rates across all developing countries increased by 4% between 1991 and 2006. The collapse of the

Corruption Increases at VID offices

Residents have expressed concerns by the increasing levels of corruption at the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) alleging that it is now impossible to pass the oral test for a provisional licence unless one bribes the officials. Residents say it costs as much as $80 to bribe the officials in order to obtain the license. Indications are that residents who do not bribe the officials are failed even if they score the minimum of 88 percent required to pass the test. This comes as a new dimension as previously bribing was concentrated only at the road tests to acquire full driving licences. Residents have called on the responsible authorities to act to deal with the corruption that is becoming endemic at the VID offices and other public offices such as the Registrar’s office, police stations and courts. As an institution that stands for accountability in governance, BPRA has previously engaged public officials over corruption in their offices. The association looks forward to engaging officials at the VID as part of its mandate to promote a culture of transparency and accountability in public office.

School summons parents over school fees

Premier High School, a privately owned learning institution in Pumula South High density suburb has issued summons to parents and guardians with outstanding balances. The summons state that fees owed to the school should be paid within a 24 hour period. One single parent reported that she has to pay $290 or have property seized by the institution. She said she owes the school tuition fees worth $232 and the added $58 goes towards payment of the messenger of court or the responsible debt collector. Some parents said the summons addressed to them were just left in their letter boxes while others said theirs were slipped under their doors. This is despite the fact that the summons require the fees to be paid up within 24 hours. Pumula South residents have previously called on the government and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to construct schools that are affordable as the suburb has no government or local authority owned schools. They argue that the privately owned Premier High School is unaffordable for the majority of residents.

BPRA, BA and NYDT Host Devolution Conference

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), Bulawayo Agenda and the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) on Saturday 21 January 2012 held a devolution and democracy conference, which was a resounding success. The theme for the conference was “deepening democracy through devolution.”The conference brought together academics, scholars, development and political science experts, politicians, lawyers, activists and residents’ representatives to discuss the contentious issue of devolution of power and how it can lead to effective governance. The conference sought to iron out myths concerning the issue of devolution, discuss its advantages and disadvantages, analyse how other countries in Africa have implemented the concept, noting its successes and failures and come up with a model on devolution. The presentations that were made at the conference will be compiled into a journal so that members of the public can get to understand the concept of devolution of power.