Ngozi Mine squatters cry foul

SQUATTERS at Ngozi Mine in Bulawayo have complained about poor living conditions such as lack of access to clean water as well as failure to access identity documents.

The local authority recently said there was no budget to provide water services to an illegal settlement.

This was after Ward 2 councillor Joice Ndlovu made submissions for council to provide clean water to the settlement.

Timothy Mkhwananzi (43), who has lived at the camp for 16 years, said he has struggled to obtain identity documents for his family.

“Together with my ve children we do not have birth certi cates,” Mkhwananzi said.,

“When we approach the register’s o ce to get the documents, they ask us to bring relatives but some of us do not have any, hence, we stay here in the bush.”

Another squatter Sanele Ncube (28) said: “We came here in 2013 after our parents died and relatives were not taking care of us.

“We survive on waste picking but as women life is di cult in this business because the income is just too low. The other challenge is that we are bullied by men.”