Residents calls for speed rehabilitation of Iminyela ablution facility

Bulawayo residents have  called for the local authority to speed up the rehabilitation of Iminyela ablution system to accommodate the current population.


BULAWAYO Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) secretary for administration Themebelani Dube said the council made plans last year to construct toilets for the households in Minyela.

"The council took it upon themselves to make a plan of constructing the toilets to accommodate the many households in Minyela. The living conditions there are unhygienic hence the need for the local authority to speed up the process," Dube said.

Dube said there is need for the council to change the ablution systems so that the households are split because there are many of them sharing only toilets. 

"There is a need for the council to implement the project as fast as they can because cholera will be easily spread across since some of the province are highly struck by the disease," he said. 

Ward Councillor for Minyela, Lovewell Mwinde was not available for a comment.

Last year in March, Minyela Residents were up in arms with emanating challenges that they are facing through sharing toilets due to the water shedding which is being experienced in Bulawayo. 

One of the residents who are asked to remain anonymous for ethical reasons said that four to five families in a block share one toilet which is not healthy at all looking at the fact that the city is currently facing water shortages.

She said up to four households share the same toilet and she is the eldest in the block, most of the residents are single men. 

She said there is only one other lady, the gentlemen do not have enough storage containers so they quickly run out of water and its not  easy to maintain hygiene in such cases where people use the toilet and leave it unusable for the next person. 

She said complaining makes one seem like a bad person so we just clean in silence which is very unhygienic. 

Another added that there are conflicts rising from the water situation and sharing toilets especially when there are children involved.

She said children may create a mess without one knowing which may upset other residents therefore without running tap water conflicts rise.

She said they are pleading with the local authority to at least execute water shedding only one day at a time as this is posing dangerous diseases to the community.

Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) Director, Khumbulani Maphosa said they are calling for the responsible authorities to work on a solid plan so as to assist the Minyela residents.