The strike by local council workers of Zimbabwe’s second largest city is hurting the ordinary residents of Bulawayo such as school children and HIV/AIDS sufferers who have been denied a service at this crucial time. It is also hurting business and BCC’s credibility as a council that can handle the needs of the people.
Many of our members in the residential areas are reporting that uncollected waste is piling and water supplies have been cut due to unrepaired pipes with dire health consequences.
At a time when Bulawayo would have marketed itself as a viable destination for investment through the ongoing Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), it is disturbing to notice apparent lack of urgency by the council in resolving this strike.
ZUPA has utmost sympathy with the employees of BCC who say they have gone for months without pay. We are also concerned by alleged reports that luxury vehicles may have been bought for BCC top officials at a time when the priority should have been to address the salaries of the employees. We encourage the Council to provide information to residents and their employees on whether this is true or not.
ZUPA members in Bulawayo are also alarmed by reports that the symbolic and iconic BCC buildings, the Tower Block and the Revenue Hall are at risk of being lost to Kingdom Bank after the buildings were allegedly identified as collateral security in a loan deal. We urge the City Council to make a public statement to Bulawayo residents on this issue as the buildings mean so much for the city and its people. They are the pride and identity of Bulawayo.
We are aware that Zimbabwe continues to go through challenges, but believe that we can only succeed in resolving issues such as the ongoing strike if officials and executives conduct themselves in a transparent way that leaves no one doubting that we are in this together.
Thousands of our members are directly dependent on BCC employees. Hundreds of thousands more of the people that ZUPA represents stand to benefit from a Bulawayo that is marketed as the most viable destination for investment in Zimbabwe.
We trust that maturity and honesty would be employed to resolve the BCC workers’ strike in the best interest of the city and its proud residents.
ZUPA Bulawayo Delivery Committee
ZUPA is the Zimbabwe Unemployed People’s Association (ZUPA) representing the interests of millions of unemployed Zimbabweans. It has representation in all provinces of Zimbabwe, with local communities choosing their own ward council leadership in a bottom up model of involving the communities in their own affairs.
For media enquiries or further information please contact us on email zupanational@gmail.com or call Zimbabwe numbers 0773026323 or 0773950193.
Post published in: News