Natalie Nyathi
The Bulawayo City Council, on Monday, held a water crisis consultative meeting with stakeholders in a bid to engage residents to come up with strategies and solutions concerning the current water woes affecting the City.
“We are in need of assistance from anyone regardless of colour or political party”, said Acting Town Clerk Sikhangezile Zhou.
Several suggestions were thrown into the hat, with one speaker proposing that the Council should have its own solar power system, another suggested that, for immediate alleviation, the Council has to ask from those with boreholes in their yards to supply water kiosks with borehole water.
Unfortunately, the Acting Town Clerk Zhou was persimistic without even attempting what had been suggested. She supposed that owners of such borehole water will sell to Council at exorbitant prices, she was however, quick to promise that the Council will talk to the relevant residents.
THE Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Hon Judith Ncube who was in attendance pointed out that the City Council should work with District Development Fund (DDF a government fund) to resuscitate boreholes that were drilled long back.
She went on to say,
“Imali yedevolution ikhona singacupha kuyo kulungiswe izibholane ukuze izakhamizi zinganathi amanzi angcolileyo emthonjeni”
The Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni stood up to say
“Kuyahlupha masalu sakuzama kodwa kuyahlupha anyway sizazama futhi kodwa kuyahlupha”
“, he said.
As if brushing aside the Minister of State and Provincial Affairs and Devolution’s contribution the Mayor, Cllr. Solomon Mguni continued to say,
“We have already seen some bowsers branded with logos of some political party supplying residents with water”.
On the sidelines of the same meeting the Deputy Mayor Cllr. Mlandu Ncube said those bowsers are supplying water which is not inspected or sampled and thus it may be dangerous to residents.
“But as Council there is nothing we can do as they (Bowsers) come with a logo of a certain party written vote for who or who”.
He advised residents not to collect water from such bowsers as no one knows what the bowsers had been transporting before and where the water is gotten from.
Back in the meeting, an unidentified young woman stated that there is a certain Councillor who refused a resident to repair a borehole in his/her jurisdiction advising the good Samaritan to give the councillor the money so as to take credit of the job.
The resident in question said:
“If given a chance by tomorrow morning l can drill a borehole for the community”
THE Acting-town Clerk advised the young lady to refer the good Samaritan to the engineer’s office since she said City Council office doors are always open for the public.
The Council seemingly is at sixes and sevens about the water crisis thus the residents are taking it upon themselves to find possible solutions and strategies to the water crisis.
The BCC has been sitting on its responsibilities.
The Bulawayo City Council has a tendency to react instead of responding to challenges.
It is well know that Bulawayo lies in a drought prone region this should have given the City Fathers indicators to come up with a long term solution for the water crisis but they set on their laurels. The electricity crisis has been in effect time immemorial, again the city had to face a water crisis for the City Fathers to suggest powering its water pumping system with solar power.
The are Public Private Partnerships (PPP) who would want to invest in such projects but the City Fathers are reluctant to such partnerships.
To make matters worse, Acting Director of Engineering Services Sikhumbuzo Ncube , said Umzingwane Dam is predicted to be decommissioned around July before the rain season.
“Is it enough for the water to sustain up to the next season?, No. Let us take not of this.”, he said.