Hon. Thokozani Khupe visited Hopley Farm

The visit comes as a follow up to reports by an international human rights organisation, Amnesty International which said that the lives of pregnant women and their babies in Hopley Farm were in danger because of failure to ensure adequate housing, water, sanitation and health care. Hopley is an informal settlement that was created by the then Zanu PF government after it destroyed peoples houses and forced evictions of thousands people during Operation Murambatsvina in 2005.

Bulawayo residents have said that government should introduce company audits to ensure there are checks and balances on all companies operating in Bulawayo to avoid unforeseen shut downs and relocations. Speaking at a residents meeting organised by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BUPRA), citizens of Bulawayo said they were being left jobless by the continued shut downs and relocations taking place in most industries.

Commenting on the need for a companies audit Hon. Seiso Moyo, the MP for Nketa said that company audits would make business people accountable to the residents whom are their employees and customers. Speaking at the same meeting, the Mayor of Bulawayo Thaba Moyo said the council was still looking into formulating policies to charge property owners for under utilized buildings. He said the council did not have policies at hand that guard against underutilised buildings but was working closely with property owners to come out with a solution to preserve the city and businesses from collapse.

Meanwhile, the MDC led, Bulawayo City Council has entered into a deal with a South African company that specialises in installing traffic lights. The company, Traffic Signals and Accessories (TSA) will install traffic lights at several intersections within the central business district on a trial basis to allow council to monitor the efficiency of the equipment.

In Mutasa North in Manicaland province, Jacob Matsotse, 30, the MDC Ward 30 chairperson, who is facing charges of contravening the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), was remanded out of custody to 20 January 2011 after he appeared before a Mutare magistrate, Fabion Feshete on Tuesday. Matsotse is facing allegations of that on 25 November; he held a meeting at Pimai Primary School, in Honde Valley with other MDC members without a police clearance.

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