In defense of the Bulawayo parking system

Greetings to all the citizens of the Great City of Bulawayo: The City of Kings and Queens.

We note with deep and grave concern as the Concerned Citizens of Bulawayo that there has arisen in our midst one who has posed as an enemy, monster or devil against progress, development, devolution and innovation fighting against the city father and mothers. The sponsor of the chaos, disunity, and backwardness is one Farai Kizito Manganda known for dismally losing as an independent candidate for the Bulawayo Central Constituency in the 2018 Parliamentary Elections.

Farai Kizito Manganda is funding, propelling, propagating a war with the City of Bulawayo and Tendy Three Investments t/a TTI Parking Solutions and effectively against the City of Bulawayo to rebel against the smart parking system. Farai Kizito Manganda has disguised himself as an innocent business person, posing as an apolitical activist and a patriot. Nothing can be further from the truth as he is none of the above. He is a fully blown tribal political creature who contested and lost the 2018 parliamentary elections and has an obvious political score to settle with the city fathers and mothers in Bulawayo and all right-thinking citizens.

For the record, Farai Kizito Manganda is in the public domain, not known for fighting for human rights and the Gukurahundi atrocities and victims. He is not vocal concerning the water challenges facing people of Bulawayo. There is no record of him having employed even 3 citizens from Bulawayo or giving to the poor or vulnerable or speaking with and dealing with well known residents associations like BURA and BPRA, Ibhetshu LikaZulu,Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Trust Association (BVTA) or providing any employment other than for his friends,

accomplices or relatives.

As the Concerned Citizens of Bulawayo, we are alive and conscious of the following facts relating to the implementation of the smart parking system.

The smart parking system was unanimously adopted and sanctioned by the City of Bulawayo through its Councillors and the administration which has got Technocrats and people's representatives.

After the flighting of the Tender, the residents' associations and other stakeholders were consulted and had their input at the City Hall and through various platforms.

The government of Zimbabwe through the tender board or PRAZ, the Cabinet of Zimbabwe and ZIDA (Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency), were involved at various stages in approving the project after due diligence and the results are there to show through the successful implementation of the project.

The City of Bulawayo and TTI have been transparent on the funds generated by monthly accountability via the public press on the funds generated and deployment of same for road markings and resurfacing and the results are there fore everyone to see and the project has only been alive for only 6 months. Clearly the future is bright for our city and only enemies of progress like Farai Kizito Manganda are pegging falsehoods and expect services for free.

We have seen decongestion of the CBD and also shared parking bays and spaces for all the citizens under a win – win arrangement where citizens pay for parking space and there is an obvious benefit to the City of Bulawayo and the generality of the citizens.

TTI has implemented visible corporate social responsibility programs with donations of food stuffs to vulnerable communities in Bulawayo, namely the elderly, disabled, child headed families, widows and widowers and orphans as identified by the City of Bulawayo under its department of Social services. Over 1000 families have been taken care of under this programme yet Farai Kizito Manganda has deliberately and selectively turned a blind eye and has only taken care of his immediate family and has the temerity ad audacity to be anti – people.

Over 200 youths from Bulawayo (both male and female) have been employed by TTI with prospects of further employment of a further 300 others as the parking system is being rolled throughout the city. We are yet to see even 10 young people who have been employed by Farai Kizito Manganda.

In any event and significantly, TTI is a bona fide Zimbabwean and Bulawayo company with the right to operate the parking system and we know Farai Kizito Manganda and his sponsors wanted another company to be awarded the tender hence this acrimony and anger.

The City of Bulawayo and TTI have been sensitive on the issues raised by the citizens and stakeholders and they have promised to hold an all-stakeholders Indaba in due course and in the meanwhile the US$1.00  (or RTGS 590)  charge per hour has been relaxed to apply across parking bays within the hour and they are considering concessions for business communities and pensioners.

In light of the above, as the Concerned Citizens of Bulawayo we have come to the inescapable conclusion that:-

Farai Kizito Manganda; because of his twisted mind is misled and misleading a rebellion against the residents of Bulawayo under the guise of a false citizen's movement to get rid of the smart parking system to the citizen's prejudice.

The Proposed 22 August 2022 March and Petition to the City Hall is ill – advised, in bad faith and must be snubbed by all right-thinking citizens.

The issues raised by Farai Kizito Manganda and like-minded people lack substance, anti- people of Bulawayo and the broader Matabeleland region, as the parking system is overall beneficial to the residents.

All right-thinking people and organisations including but not limited to BPRA, BURA, Ibhetshu LikaZulu,Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Trust Association (BVTA), business communities, property owners, civic society must stand firm in support of the City of Bulawayo and the TTI parking system

We thank you and we shall in the coming days be inviting you to a GRATITUDE MARCH to the City Hall to applaud our City Fathers and Mothers and TTI in implementing this great initiative and look forward to similarly greater projects.

MASIYEPHAMBILI BULAWAYO

Yours in support of the City of Kings