BULAWAYO residents have said they do not trust the Bulawayo City Council’s move to create a water utility company which they say could be a way of swindling them through high bills.
Stakeholders last week expressed fear that the municipality intended to privatise water management services via the back door.
There are reports indicating that the municipality has engaged Vitens Evides International (VEI), a Dutch water utility company, to manage the city’s water and sanitation services.
Critics have raised fears that council will eventually hand over water management to the private firm in much the same way it did with vehicle parking to Tendy Three Investments.
Council also privatised the Egodini rank under a build, operate and transfer facility.
In 2015, council awarded Terracotta Trading Limited a US$60 million tender to construct Egodini mall.
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To date, the mall has not been constructed, save for the much-touted bus terminus.
Council engineer Robson Manatsa was at pains to explain the local authority’s plan to privatise water services, adding that they intended to hand over water management services to VEI Waterworks Project, which he claimed was a standalone council firm.
However, monitoring and evaluation expert Thembelani Dube has told Southern Eye that residents are not pleased at all with the water utility company.
“We are not happy with that partnership. No one can come from Holland without making profit,” he said.
“Once funds are ring-fenced, someone is making profit. We are all of the view that if we allow them to do that then it is likely that water rates are going to double so that they can get their profit back. This is a violation of human rights.”
Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson Winos Dube had a different view.
“If the system is going to be positive then it is a good thing that the local authority goes ahead with the plan. As long as council thinks it will provide water then let’s wait and see,” he said.
Dube said the problem with local authorities was that they do not come clear with the residents.
“Local authorities tend to not explain everything vividly to the residents. They should make people understand what is being thrown to them. They should be convinced so that they can appreciate whatever is being done,” he said.