Bid to revive Chinhoyi residents’ body

CHINHOYI residents have teamed up to revive the Chinhoyi Residents’ Association, which died a natural death more than two decades ago.

The demise of the association left residents and ratepayers at the mercy of council officials.

Lack of co-ordinated and directed monitoring of council activities and service provision had over the years seen the municipality giving residents poor service.

In a recent interview, the Chinhoyi Residents’ Association chairperson, Mr Clifford Hlupeko, said the organisation’s main objective was to mediate between the residents and institutions such as the Municipality of Chinhoyi.

“We discovered that there is no bridge between the local authority and the people, yet they have so many grievances which need to be addressed,” he said.

“Our aim is to make sure that the local authority delivers the best service to its people. Residents in suburbs like Brundish, a medium-density area, are sitting on a serious health time bomb as they are residing an area with so many burst sewer pipes.”

Mr Hlupeko said raw sewage was flowing into the water bodies that service Chinhoyi.

“Of course, the water is being treated, but council should prioritise the maintenance of its equipment to minimise risk,” he said.

Mr Hlupeko said another push factor for the formation of the association was the irresponsibility exhibited by councillors.

“Unfortunately, it seems that the calibre of councillors we have are in council for political gains and representing their political parties instead of the community,” he said.

The association’s secretary, Mr Tapiwanashe Chikondowa, said research had shown that residents wanted council to channel resources towards water reticulation than expanding its boundaries.

He said Chinhoyi was still using water and sewer systems built in the pre-independence era and it was prone to bursts and leakages.

“Why does council continue to establish new residential areas when there are no adequate water supplies and properly functioning sewer systems?” asked Mr Chikondowa.

“Chinhoyi is growing in a haphazard manner and one would never understand where it is going. Residential stands are scattered all over.”

The association will be advocating for ICT-based billing systems, sewage and water reticulation.

It is also calling for an improved traffic management that includes traffic signs, road markings and creation of modern ranks for taxis and buses.

According to the association, parking charges should also be reduced by 50 percent as a matter of urgency as they were not justified.