News / Local
'Bulawayo a scrapyard,' says Mugabe
23 Aug 2013 at 03:30hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday said Bulawayo's industrial base had shrunk to scrapyard level and said the water crisis bedevilling the city should be addressed.
Speaking during his seventh inauguration in Harare, Mugabe said although industries have collapsed countywide, the Bulawayo industrial state was worrying.
"Our cities are dying. Bulawayo was once a thriving industrial hub in the country, but now it has become a sorry industrial scrapyard," he said.
During his campaigns, Mugabe pledged to revive industry in Bulawayo, blaming European Union and US sanctions for the city's demise.
Estimates say more than 100 companies have closed shop affecting more than 20 000 employees.
Further worsening Bulawayo's plight are perennial water shortages affecting the city, with the local authority introducing a 72-hour water rationing regime each week.
On the water crisis, Mugabe said it was unacceptable for urban areas, particularly Bulawayo, not to have continuous running water.
"Taps are running dry as we have erratic supplies of water especially in urban centres and we risk outbreak of diseases," he said. "The situation is worse in Bulawayo."
Speaking during his seventh inauguration in Harare, Mugabe said although industries have collapsed countywide, the Bulawayo industrial state was worrying.
"Our cities are dying. Bulawayo was once a thriving industrial hub in the country, but now it has become a sorry industrial scrapyard," he said.
During his campaigns, Mugabe pledged to revive industry in Bulawayo, blaming European Union and US sanctions for the city's demise.
Further worsening Bulawayo's plight are perennial water shortages affecting the city, with the local authority introducing a 72-hour water rationing regime each week.
On the water crisis, Mugabe said it was unacceptable for urban areas, particularly Bulawayo, not to have continuous running water.
"Taps are running dry as we have erratic supplies of water especially in urban centres and we risk outbreak of diseases," he said. "The situation is worse in Bulawayo."
Source - southerneye
