JUST IN: City fathers bemoan state of buildings

Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter

PROPERTY owners in Bulawayo have been called upon to continuously rehabilitate their buildings so as to avoid them being condemned by the council.

This comes in the backdrop of the local authority revealing that it has to date condemned 35 buildings in the Central Business District.

In an interview, Bulawayo deputy mayor, Councillor Mlandu Ncube, who is also Councillor for Ward One, which encompasses the Central Business District said it was unfortunate that some property owners where neglecting their buildings, which was giving the city a negative standing.

“It is sad to note how property owners leave their properties to be a very sorry state within the CBD, which is now depicting the city as a ghost city, subsequently, no one will want to invest in Bulawayo because of this standing.

“We encourage property owners to uplift their buildings so that it resembles a good and growing city. If property owners continue to neglect their buildings the local authority will not hesitate to put bylaws that will compel them to upgrade as a matter of urgency,” said Clr Ncube.

A number of buildings in the city have been abandoned by their owners, some going unoccupied for a number of years.