Chronicle Editor
Sione Amidu, Gwanda Correspondent
FORTY-THREE Gwanda Municipality and Rural District Council (RDC) councillors were sworn into office in two separate ceremonies on Friday and they have promised to hit the ground running in addressing the various challenges facing their areas of jurisdiction.
Gwanda has been faced with a number of challenges mostly attributed to poor management and the coming in of the new councillors is expected to breathe in renewed hope into the mining town and its rural communities. From being a town of smoke and flies due to failure to manage waste at the condemned dumpsite at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic to workers going for more than four months without salaries, the new city fathers are in for a huge fight to turn the tide.
Giving his remarks after the swearing-in ceremony, Clr Thulani Moyo said he was prepared to serve the people and to work hand in glove with the council so as to deal with the pressing issues in Gwanda. He also spoke of ways to mitigate water challenges, sewage, the hazardous dumping site and the non-payment of council workers.
“There are outstanding issues that are affecting the community. On the dumpsite issue we will set up targets of which on the set targets the dumpsite will be moved to a new landfill. We delayed because there is the shortage of earth moving equipment which is user friendly to the newly constructed landfill. Gwanda town is growing very fast in terms of population and our reservoirs are small. The demand for water is going to increase in summer and we need to tackle the issue of increasing and upgrading the water treatment plant,” said Clr Moyo
In a statement, Gwanda residents’ association official, Mr Molvern Dube said the incoming councillors should address the pressing issues of water crisis and waste management.
“As the residents’ association we are concerned about capability when it comes to service delivery, we are expecting people who have been elected as councillors to dwell within the framework of the local authority and also deliver what is expected. People are having health issues from the smoke coming from the condemned dumpsite that they have approved to move to another area. The dumpsite is now surrounded by shelters and a certain percentage of people who are living in that area are asthmatic, it is difficult for people to live within such premises. We hope the incoming councillors will definitely address that issue with urgency.”
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