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Reservations On Proposed 2021 City Budget

Bulawayo City Council's 2021 budget reveals no commitment to address issues of water infrastructure. Image by NewsDay


BY LIZWE SEBATHA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | NOV 19, 2020

Aged infrastructure in Bulawayo has taken a toll on service delivery— reducing access to water and reticulation management. Civil society says the proposed 2021 budget shows there's little to no commitment by the city to improve the situation.


BULAWAYO (The Citizen Bulletin) Burst sewer pipes in Bulawayo's western suburbs are a common sight. Water from taps is oftentimes discoloured.

Council has failed to adhere to its water shedding regime, forcing residents to turn to unsafe water sources.

Never Ncube says his family got the shock of their lives last week when a sewerage pipe burst right at their doorstep and flooded three rooms in Sizinda suburb. The family had to be accommodated by a relative in the neighbouring Tshabalala suburb.

“Just imagine spending hours surrounded by that muck,” Ncube complains. Burst pipes have been a perennial problem in the suburb, he says.


“There is also always an unpleasant smell emanating from a nearby stream near Westgate.”
Never Ncube, a resident


Ncube is grateful that there has not been any diarrhoea outbreak in the suburb. In June, Bulawayo was hit by a diarrhoea outbreak which left 13 people dead and infected over 2000 others in Luveve and surrounding suburbs.

The outbreak was blamed on contaminated water and water shortages. City leadership has said mud and sewer could have contaminated the potable water through leakages linked to water pipe bursts. The leaks are said to be a result of ageing water reticulation infrastructure in Bulawayo.

While Ncube urged the local authority to address water shortages and revamp the sewerage system to avoid pipe bursts, an analysis of the abridged expenditure budget according to priority area in the 2021 proposed council budget shows little will be channelled towards addressing such.

The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is proposing a $17.1 billion budget for the year 2021 with rates and general services expected to generate $2, 7 billion.


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According to the proposed budget, 30% of the revenue generated will be allocated towards paying salaries, 19% will go towards repairs and general expenditure will take up about 55%. Of this general expenditure, 10% will be allocated to sewerage services, water conservation, delivery, purification and reticulation.

Analysts opine that sub-optimum service delivery as evidenced by collapsed infrastructure such as water and sewage reticulation systems, pollution of water bodies with sewage and industrial effluent and gross inefficiency in the management of waste, has contributed to disease outbreaks.

“The budget is truly not reflective of people's needs. The budgeting process from the start was flawed because BCC had already come up with its own draft before consultation the residents on what they think should be prioritized and this is evident in the budget proposal they have produced,” says Kelebone Khabo, the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) spokesperson.

Council’s 2021 budget consultations were conducted virtually, mostly via the WhatsApp platform due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

“If the budget was people oriented water should have had a much larger allocation because that is what the people of Bulawayo need at the moment,” Khabo adds.

Winos Dube, the Bulawayo Residents Association (BURA) chairperson, has said their expectation was that a substantial percentage would be channelled towards water and sanitation.

Bulawayo deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube has however dismissed suggestions that the council has allocated little funds to water and sewer infrastructure needs, to stamp out diarrhoeal diseases.


“Our responsibility is to pump, treat and deliver water to residents, of which we have not failed in that regard as long as we have the commodity in our dams.”
Mlandu Ncube, Bulawayo deputy mayor


“The infrastructure is there; and when it comes to budget breakdowns, all the areas are given due priority attention depending on the needs in terms of estimated cost. As such, there is no way it can be said that little is being allocated to water and sanitation.”

Incidentally, council has said it does not have the funds to completely refurbish the city’s ageing water and sewer reticulation infrastructure. Council says the exercise requires US$1 482 000.

According to the council’s engineering services department, Bulawayo’s water and sewer infrastructure is over 50 years old and has outlived its lifespan.


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