The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Monday, April 6, 1992 — The Sidojiwe Flats in Bulawayo’s industrial sites, where residents were reported recently to be living in unhygienic conditions, are now being renovated but the exercise is being slowed down by thieves who are stealing window panes as soon as they are replaced.

The refurbishment of the flats started last month. The Bulawayo City Council’s Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Isaiah Magagula, said yesterday that the renovation, which was initially scheduled to begin last November, had been delayed mainly because of the unavailability of window panes.

However, the exercise was now being hindered by thieves who went around removing window panes before the putty was dry. The residents of Sidojiwe who were interviewed about the thefts claimed that outsiders were responsible. They said that they could not steal the panes after they appealed to the city council to replace them.

Mr Magagula, however, said he believed the residents themselves were removing the window panes since they could only be removed from inside.

“We have security guards on the premises and if the residents see someone from outside coming they should protect their property. We waited for so long to get the scarce window panes, we cannot afford to be replacing them before the exercise is even over,” said Mr Magagula.

Mr Magagula estimated the total cost of window panes required for the three blocks to be more than $75 000. The single-roomed blocks, Mr Magagula said, would be repainted soon. Municipal workers have also started cleaning the walls and residents have expressed satisfaction at the rate of progress so far.