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Sharon Buwerimwe, Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council has commissioned two public toilets for vendors in Pumula suburb to improve sanitation.

In an interview, Ward 17’s Councillor Sikhululekile Moyo said the toilets were built under a city council project that is targeting to construct 325 toilets for residents.

“This commissioning of toilets is the continuation of previous projects by the council which aimed to build many toilets for residents in the year 2015,” she said.

She said the project was meant to improve sanitation facilities, as well as reduce spread of diseases that are associated with unhygienic environments.

Cllr Moyo said there are other developments in Pumula besides the commissioning of public toilets.

“We have a vegetable project situated in Old Pumula that started functioning last week, it benefits ward 17 residents and the project is run by local leaders. We also purchased litter bins that have seen reduction in dump sites that threatened our health,” said Cllr Moyo.

She said it is residents’ right to have the toilets and encouraged them to pay rates for excellent service delivery.

Recently, the Bulawayo City Council commissioned 279 individual toilets in Iminyela and Mabuthweni suburbs, a development that saw most of the residents who lived in houses for more than 30 years finally owning the houses.

In 2012, the local authority said it would service the houses by building individual toilets before selling the houses to sitting tenants.

Council, in partnership with Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation (ZIHOPFE), Dialogue on Shelter (DOS) and the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), provided about 80 percent of the required money through loans advanced to residents.

Residents had to raise the remaining 20 percent and pay back the loans over two years at $15 per month.

—@sharonbuwe