The Sunday News
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has embarked on an ambitious plan to demolish some of the city’s oldest hostels, Vundu, Sidojiwe, Burombo and Gertrude, citing inhumane living conditions, Sunday News can reveal.
Although the city’s mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, could not reveal the exact figure involved in the project, he confirmed that the local authority was considering either demolishing the hostels and constructing flats in their place or renovating them to modern standards.
He said currently people staying in the hostels were living as “near-animals”, hence the local authority had seen the need to move in and help resolve the matter.
“Those hostels were originally constructed as temporary accommodation for people working in the city while their families were in the rural areas, which is why you find there is one common cooking kitchen and communal toilets but this should no longer apply especially from a health aspect.
“Just a visit to these hostels will show you that the flats are not only inhumane but they just should not be allowed to be still in existence, which is why we plan to either demolish them, construct modern flats where people can stay as families or rather renovate them and turn them into some form of industrial centre,” said Clr Moyo.
Questioned on where they would move the current residents of these hostels, Clr Moyo said they had identified land in Cowdray Park where they would construct houses for them.
“We have started this facility with those staying at Sidojiwe hostels, reason being they are located right on the edge of sewer pools hence there is a strong stench emanating from there, which is why we took them as priority.
“Our plans are that they be moved to Cowdray Park, where the set up will be more of a modern village because we understand that these people have been cohabiting together for too long hence the need for them to maintain this unity, we know to some it will be difficult to move because it is by all means traumatic to move from a place you have stayed for almost a lifetime but they simply have to accept that it’s for their own good. Yes we are seeking donors to work with but the residents are also contributing money for the construction of their houses,” said the mayor.
He revealed that they were also planning to modernise some of the flats and houses in Makokoba noting that some of them were too small that the residents were just living there out of desperation.
“As you might know of our plans to redevelop Makokoba houses, we are also looking at the flats there, which are so small; we aim to refurbish them making them at least conducive as places of residence not their current state.
“What we are simply doing is respecting the dignity of the human being and frankly in their current state we are not respecting this at all,” said Clr Moyo.
Meanwhile, a Sunday News crew last Thursday visited Vundu hostels where they were met with a sorry sight – some of the flats did not have running water or electricity, the toilets were filthy with evidence that they were last cleaned ages ago.
Residents interviewed said they were staying at the hostels out of desperation because they could not afford rentals that were demanded elsewhere. They said they had come to accept their living conditions and were doing their best to adapt.
They said while they would welcome moves by the local authority to move them, their worry was that when the hostels were eventually demolished there was a possibility that the local authority would dump them leaving them with no place to stay.
“While we have always had it in our minds that one day council will evict us from these flats because we all know that they were condemned long back, all that we have been trying to beg them is that they avail alternative affordable accommodation for us, not to throw us onto the streets.
“You have to remember that some of us have stayed here for over 30 years not because we like it but because we have no choice, council should just come to our rescue,” said a resident who identified himself as Mr Ndlovu.
Other residents suggested that the local authority should not demolish the entire complex but focus on renovating one hostel at a time, so that they could move to the renovated flats when work was completed.
“It is honestly not feasible that they will get all of us accommodation at once. I think it will be better that they do this in phases that way we can all move to other hostels while they demolish and reconstruct one hostel at a time,” said a resident who declined to be named.
Ward Seven councillor, James Sithole — under whose jurisdiction the hostels fall — said the renovation of the hostels was long overdue as they were an eyesore not only in the suburb but the city as a whole.
“Yes these are historical flats and should be included in our history books but this is no leeway for us to leave them in this condition, something had to be done decades ago, it is unfortunate that up till now there was no move to upgrade them but now it is encouraging that there is a little action which shows that very soon these hostels will be transformed to modern livable standards,” said Clr Sithole.
