MDC-T, Bulawayo headed for showdown

BULAWAYO City councillors are headed for a showdown with their beleaguered parent party - MDC-T - after they disowned a decision not to install prepaid water meters, a project the party alleges to have been influenced by the ruling Zanu-PF party.

The latest revelations come at a time when the councillors led by the mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, have insisted that they will go ahead with the project despite residents vehemently objecting to the project and even demonstrating against the local authority.

Bulawayo councillors unanimously passed a resolution for the meter project where they initially targeted the Central Business District, Cowdray Park Phase 2 Hlalani Kuhle project, the Cowdray Park District Meter Management Area and all new residential areas before spreading the facility to other suburbs in the city.

In a statement, party national spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu alleged that the project was an initiative of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo, who he claimed was working in cahoots with town clerks to push through the project.

Mr Gutu goes further to claim that the project was illegal and came at a time when councils should be concentrating on other key service delivery projects.

"We want to categorically express that the issue of water meters is an initiation of the Central Government through the Zanu-PF Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, who ostensibly is working in cahoots with council secretariat such as the town clerks of cities.

"It is regrettable that Chombo's unorthodox move has completely sidelined the MDC councillors and therefore is illegal. The party will do everything possible to stop this illegal project meant to disenfranchise residents of a basic right like water," said Mr Gutu.

The party spokesperson goes further to allege that MDC-T-controlled local authorities were not getting adequate support for them to make decisions and remain accountable to the local people.

"It is unreasonable in the first place for Chombo and the secretariat at the local authorities to embark on such a costly adventure which is set to prejudice the already struggling council coffers of millions of dollars when council is struggling to provide basic services to residents and even more so when council workers have gone for months without salaries.

"The MDC local authority must enjoy full protection of the law and is structured in a way that empowers the people to make decisions on local issues with supervision from central government being limited only to protection of the people's interests," he said

In an interview with Sunday News, Dr Chombo dismissed MDC-T's statements noting that resolutions were passed by councillors themselves without any influence from either him or council employees.

"It boggles the mind how one can say that this is my project, it is their councillors who made the resolution not me or council officials," said Dr Chombo.

Contacted for comment, Mr Gutu professed ignorance on the Bulawayo situation saying as far as they were concerned they had made a resolution that none of their councillors would support the implementation of the prepaid water meters and anyone who went against this would be regarded as disobeying a clear position and would be dealt with accordingly.

"We are a responsive party and in this scenario we listened to the people who clearly stated that they are against this project, we are now liaising with our deployees within the local authorities to adopt this position and anyone who opposes this position will be dealt with accordingly," said Mr Gutu.

The issue of prepaid water meters has been at the top of the agenda in the city after council passed the resolution to start the project. At one point it was shelved after residents protested but commenced again, the latest setback was when Clr Moyo acknowledged that the meters were too expensive but would now be done on an individual basis.

"The thing is that we do not have the resources to purchase and install them across the city. They are expensive, $250 per each meter is on the high side and unaffordable. The council can, however, still respond to individual requests and install them on residences of those who want them, that is our position as a city," said Clr Moyo.

The mayor at one point failed to pitch up at a meeting organised by the Bulawayo Press Club where he had been billed to face members of the Bulawayo Progressive Residents' Association to answer questions on why the local authority was implementing the project regardless of a public backlash.

When BCC initially passed the resolution to commence the project, Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere was quoted in the local media warning the local authority to handle the matter with diligence as there were some people who genuinely could not afford water, meaning at the end of the day they would not access water.

"Prepaid meters are a good modern move as people now can manage their accounts and easily avoid ludicrous bills come the end of the month, people use what they can afford, but also the local authority should be careful how they implement this because there are people out there who cannot afford totally especially our senior citizens," said Kasukuwere.

In his maiden interview with this publication, the city's deputy mayor Clr Gift Banda singled out the prepaid water meter project as the council's priority over the next five years.

"In the next five years we will also work towards the prepaid water meters option, it is unfortunate that some people out there have become used to the culture of just not paying their rates and rentals.

"While we understand the situation our residents are in they have to realise that we desperately need money for us to deliver the services they clamour for, no service is for free. It is  for this reason that we have seen it necessary for us to take the Zesa route of implementing these prepaid meters," said Clr Banda.