Bulawayo City Council corrects Mayor's water disconnections claims

The Bulawayo City Council was last Friday forced to release a statement refuting claims by city Mayor Martin Moyo that they needed communicating from the ministry of local government to adhere to a landmark High Court order barring councils from disconnecting water to defaulting residents.

Moyo told the state media that said they had read about the High Court order in the media and did not make decisions based on things reported in the press.

However, BCC public relations officer Nesisa Mpofu said , "The City of Bulawayo would like to correct assertions that it has defied the High Court judgment pertaining to water disconnections which was delivered on the 25th of April 2014 at the Harare High Court.

"Following Judge Bhunu's ruling, Bulawayo City Council stopped all water disconnections in residential areas. We note that the judgment which was passed is not only binding for the City of Harare but Bulawayo as well. Please note that in this case the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development would not normally be expected to send any communication."

Mpofu said the cut off teams had stopped carrying out water disconnections following the ruling and we are currently in the process of delivering final demands to clients that have outstanding bills.

"The City of Bulawayo constantly monitors the legal environment and tries to ensure that it operates within the legal framework. We would therefore like to correct the story published in your paper as it gives the impression that the City of Bulawayo has defied the High Court Order," Mpofu said.