Old Pumula residents cry foul over mealie meal distribution

Nhlanhla Mbele
While Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) has come up with an initiative to help Bulawayo residents to access mealie-meal in their residential areas, some ward councillors’ representatives saw it as an opportunity to fatten their wallets.

Recognised as one of the city’s old suburbs that houses most of the elderly people it could have been one of the best served areas when it comes to mealie-meal distribution especially at a time when the country is intensifying measures of easing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the old Pumula residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said the residents were up in arms over the books which are sold to them in order to be eligible to buy mealie-meal which is distributed by Bura.

“We tried to find out from the BURA members who represent Old Pumula about this process but they notified us that it was ward 19 councillor and the member in charge of the police who had come up with the master plan.

“They are selling the book for $6 and the mealie-meal is priced at $76 instead of $70 which was proposed by the Government ,” she said.

The source said the problem was that the association never consulted residents but made the final decision themselves.

She continued: “What pains me most is that in some suburbs they buy mealie-meal with their own books not these fake ones that they are selling us and the prices of mealie-meal is also different which brings the question why should this scam apply only in Pumula while BURA is representing the whole of Bulawayo.”

Another resident from the same area who withheld his name for security reasons said Pumula was a home of the elderly and they did not want the place to be associated with corruption.

“Where do they think these old people are going to milk that money from when we’re in this terrible situation. We say no corruption,” insisted the source.

The culprits are also reported to have been snatching the residential stamp from the community representative to use it for the same books that they are selling to people.