Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council has come under fire for ‘suspending’ emergency services, which residents have said is highly irresponsible.
The local authority on Tuesday announced that it was suspending emergency services this week citing fuel shortages.
Residents have reacted in anger and called on the local authority to put its house in order.
Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson Mr Winos Dube said while residents appreciate that the country is in a difficult economic situation characterised by fuel shortages, emergency services should never be compromised.
“It’s a very sad situation but our expectations as residents, as rate payers, is that we believe that management of institutions such as local authorities should always have what is called a disaster management plan in place. In as much as we appreciate that we are faced with an economy where we have been running short of fuel in the country, we are saying the local authority should have made sure it had enough fuel for emergency services like ambulances because those are crucial at any given time,” said Mr Dube.
He said the city has witnessed improvements in fuel supplies during the festive season and residents could therefore not undertstand why council was taking such a drastic measure.
In a Twitter statement on Wednesday, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) lamented BCC’s declining service delivery standards. “Service delivery provision by the BCC is drastically declining. From suspension of refuse collection by BCC to suspension of council Ambulances due to fuel shortages,” tweeted BPRA.
The council announced suspension of its services just two days after a 19-year-old woman from Cowdray Park suburb died at a concert in Bulawayo on December 23 after she allegedly tried to climb over a razor wire secured precast wall.
The BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed that council received some fuel on Tuesday and as a result the local authority is able to provide some of the services.— @nqotshili
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