admin“As an organisation, we have worked very hard trying to help residents who were continually having their water or electricity cut off. This is because most of our population comprise of very old people who cannot work and young people who are yet to be employed.
“We have been appealing to the authorities to let people pay what they can afford but they are also cash strapped so they need the money,” he said.
Mr Dube said most companies were paying very low salaries while others were failing to pay even those meagre salaries.
“Most people are underpaid with some going for months without salaries. Some children are yet to collect results for public examinations like Ordinary Level for last November because parents cannot afford to pay fees.
“Councillors should go to wards and talk to the people in those sections so that they get first hand information on what will be burdening their followers,” Mr Dube said.
He said residents were willing to help the council in any way they can only if they were involved.
“The cleaning department for example, could coordinate people so that they find suitable ways of disposing refuse as well as clean their areas to prevent the spread of disease,” he said.
He appealed to Government to help cushion the vulnerable groups such as the elderly and orphans through its safety nets such as the Basic Education Assistance Module.
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Thaba Moyo said last year’s economic challenges were mainly due to underperformance by some companies.
“If companies are underperforming people will also struggle as companies are the sources of income for most residents.
“This challenge saw many people having difficulties in paying their bills as the load was becoming unbearable for them to carry with such low incomes,” he said.
The Mayor said the difficulties that were faced by the consumers in turn affected the council’s service delivery.
“When people do not have money, we don’t function as a council because we depend on revenue from residents,” said Clr Moyo.
Online Reporter