BCC work-for-bills scheme brings relief to vulnerable residents

GOGO Nomthandazo Tshuma has spent nearly a year struggling to clear water and utility bill arrears owed to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), a burden that in extreme cases can result in property attachment.

For the elderly Pumula North resident, however, relief has come through a council-run temporary labourers programme that has seen her and nine other residents employed to cut grass around the city.

Under the initiative, part of her earnings will be channelled towards settling outstanding municipal bills, while the remainder will provide her with income over the two-month period.

“It is a win-win situation for me. Our councillor explained how this programme would help us pay our bills and still earn something for ourselves,” said Gogo Tshuma.

“At my age, when such opportunities come, I have no choice but to take them.”

Gogo Tshuma is among scores of residents benefitting from the city’s pro-poor policy, a framework adopted last year to cushion vulnerable households from economic and social shocks.

The policy consolidates a range of welfare and empowerment initiatives into a single framework, aligning local interventions with the National Social Protection Policy Framework and Government programmes aimed at poverty alleviation, employment creation and social inclusion.

Previously, BCC implemented pro-poor initiatives across different departments without a guiding document, resulting in inconsistencies. The new framework is expected to improve transparency, accountability and equitable service delivery.

The initiative also dovetails with broader Government programmes such as the Community Public Works and Employment Schemes, which seek to provide short-term income opportunities for vulnerable groups, as well as the Devolution Agenda, which empowers local authorities to design people-centred development programmes.

Mr Bheki Mkheswa, a resident employed under the programme and supervisor of a 10-member grass-cutting team, said participants were motivated to work.

“Council gave us an option to offset part of our earnings towards outstanding water and utility bills or to take the full amount. We have both elderly and young people in our team, and everyone is eager to work,” he said.

Ward 8 Councillor and Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu said the programme prioritises vulnerable groups in line with national empowerment policies.

“This is an all-inclusive programme targeting child-headed families, widows, widowers, persons living with disabilities and other disadvantaged residents. It empowers people to earn an income, take care of themselves and meet their civic obligations,” he said.

Clr Ndlovu said the grass-cutting initiative is seasonal, but council also runs year-round programmes such as street cleaning, which complement Government-supported urban employment and livelihoods interventions.

BCC also implements several support schemes aligned with Government social protection efforts, including community gardens, social housing, free healthcare for selected groups, paupers’ burials, parking fee waivers for senior citizens aged 70 and above, skills training for youths and women, rate rebates for the elderly and disadvantaged, and support for vendors and community-based work programmes.

Elderly residents, for instance, receive a 50 percent rebate on the rates component of their bills, while vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, orphans and child-headed families are prioritised in the allocation of housing stands.