NOT all that glitters is gold.
This sums up the thoughts of most civil servants residing at the Beitbridge town’s new multi-million-dollar government residential complex.
The houses are stylish, modern and refreshing.
Located away from the hustle and bustle of the border post set-up, they are in a serene atmosphere where nature smiles.
Set at the foot of Maware Hills, otherwise known as Woman’s Breast Hills, the 252 houses which were part of the government’s noble Beitbridge redevelopment project, are away from dusty streets of the border town.
It’s a place where one can sleep with windows open and still be at peace with self.
The houses are under 24-hour security with controlled entry where visitors’ names, contacts and positive identification are a must.
Far away from the noise of buses competing for passengers, heavily-laden trucks on their way to and from South Africa and speeding vehicles racing along the new wide road from the border post, the Government Workers Village is heaven on earth, at least from outside.
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Its freedom from burglars and armed robbers who have taken advantage of police laxity to lay siege on the border town makes the village stand out.
But people who stay there see otherwise.
Huge service bills, poor electricity supply and lack of attention from administrators of the suburb are threatening to trigger a mass exodus from the village.
Occupants feel individual water and electricity meters should be installed at the complex as opposed to the current situation whereby they are all lumped on a common bill which is causing a nightmare for most residents.
Some sub-standard fittings have exposed the poor workmanship which characterised the construction of the imposing complex.
A director in the National Housing and Social Amenities ministry, Gilmore Motsi refused to entertain questions on the challenges besetting residents at the sssscomplex.
“What do you mean by standard? Do you mean installing individual meters is standard? Maybe there is little you know about housing and you may not know what you are talking about,” he said, dismissing NewsDay in the process.
But occupants know and seem to perfectly understand what they want, despite them not having control or say over how the complex is run.
“We go for up to three days without electricity. Food goes bad in our fridges. We stay without communication because phones have no power,” said a resident at the flats.
“We have communal electricity bills and whether you use much power or not you pay as much as someone with a larger use of the service. This is outdated and not fair. Each housing unit should have had its own meter, that’s the new order.”
Another civil servant revealed that he recently received a ZWL$800 000 electricity bill, a first in his life.
“I have another huge water bill and this does not correspond with my salary and use in my previous residence. We are not even sure what we are paying for. It seems the entire bill even during construction has been offloaded on us. Had it been my own meter I would have an opening bill to work on,” the resident said.
NewsDay learnt that apparently the village goes for days without power because it is connected to an unreliable grid serving rural areas. A Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company linesman confirmed that the new complex was connected to rural Beitbridge which can easily be taken off the grid in bad weather.
Complaints by the residents to the Department of Public Construction appear to have been blown by the wind before getting to responsible officials’ ears.
Local officials have, however allegedly told residents that they were not involved in the quality control of the complex or allocation of the houses.
“The department says it was not involved in quality control and standards checking of the implements and fittings installed in the houses during construction when we report faulty fittings,” another civil servant said.
While birds continue to sing, the environment remains absolutely conducive and healthy for a good life, misery reigns supreme as occupants of the village sing the blues.
