TOWN planning experts in Bulawayo have taken a swipe at the city fathers accusing them of failing to deliver appropriate services to residents as dictated by the city master plan.
LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI OWN CORRESPONDENT
The 15-year master plan drawn up in 2000, is set to expire at the end of this year and town planners said council had failed to implement it.
Among the major issues contained in the master plan was the incorporation of Umguza into Bulawayo and establishing the city as a strong economic base with new industries meant to be established along Airport Road and providing adequate and appropriate housing facilities, among others.
The town planning experts said council had failed to deliver on the master plan because it was not focused and was not employing people with the requisite expertise to develop the city.
“City fathers should take residents of Bulawayo seriously. If you go to other towns, municipalities there have managed to provide housing to residents in the past 15 years, but if you look at Bulawayo, the last housing settlement was before 2000 when Cowdray Park and Emganwini high-density suburbs were established,” the expert said.
However, Bulawayo mayor Martin Moyo defended council saying the town clerk’s office was currently working on implementing the old master plan that was likely to be extended to 2018.
“We were in Hwange recently deliberating on the city’s master plan. I would like to tell people that we have planned for the next four years and we will be rolling out our plan so that we can deliver for the residents of Bulawayo,” he said.
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“Our plan is that our deliberations cascade down to all directors who will then implement this at lower levels right up to the residents. All that I can say is that as council, we will deliver for the people of Bulawayo.”
