Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has dismissed as false claims doing rounds in the city that it planned to privatise water and sanitation services.
In a statement, the local authority said it was, instead, just establishing an independent Water and Sanitation Utility to efficiently manage these services to the public.
“The proposed Bulawayo Water and Sanitation Public Utility will be 100% owned by the City of Bulawayo as the sole shareholder. This is a public Water and Sanitation Utility which will be overseen by an Independent Board with public and local authority involvement,” the BCC said.
The council emphasized that the goal of setting up the Water Utility is to enhance management while ensuring that water remains a public resource, rather than transferring ownership to private companies.
“There are no private individuals or private companies invested in it,” it added.
“The City of Bulawayo will register a utility that is 100% owned by the City. This is not privatisation but a legal safeguard against dilution or hostile takeover. The Company shares will not be tradable. The registered entity will not be driven by profit but by the need for efficient and affordable service delivery in water and sanitation,” BCC explained.
The council also announced plans to conduct ward-based and community stakeholder engagement meetings to share information, discuss, and gather public opinion on the Utility model best suited for Bulawayo.
“This will clarify and correct deliberate distortions, misinformation, and falsehoods,” the BCCy said.
It refuted allegations linking the Water Utility to prepaid water meters, describing such claims as attempts to instill fear among residents and discourage support for the Water Utility.
The local authority reiterated its commitment to a transparent, sustainable, accountable, and beneficial process in water and sanitation management.
“It is focused on a transparent, sustainable, accountable and beneficial process in water and sanitation management,” BCC said.
New Ziana
