Emakhandeni-Luveve Member of Parliament Descent Bajila on Friday handed over two solar-powered boreholes to the community, part of six planned under the 2025 Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The project is being funded through the constituency’s ZiG 1.3 million allocation from the 2025 CDF. The handover comes as Bulawayo continues to grapple with severe water rationing, driven by ageing infrastructure, supply challenges and environmental damage linked to illegal gold mining near the city’s dams.
The newly commissioned water points are located at Ziyaphapha in Gwabalanda and eMkhayeni in New Lobengula. Speaking at the ceremony, MP Bajila said the projects were identified through community consultations held in 2024. “In 2024, we sat down with residents and asked how they wanted the CDF to be used.
Some requested a police base in Gwabalanda, others suggested a bridge or the rehabilitation of a youth centre,” he said. “We asked our two councillors to identify suitable sites for boreholes in line with city regulations. We also engaged surveyors because some areas are dry, while others have sewer lines running nearby.” He said the infrastructure belongs to residents and urged them to take ownership of it.
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“The money used for these boreholes is yours. Those who work pay tax, and our role as MPs is to ensure that tax revenue is used to develop our constituencies,” he said. The MP explained that the project involved drilling new boreholes and upgrading existing manual pumps to solar-powered systems.
“Some boreholes were manually operated; we converted them to solar. In other areas, we drilled new ones. We do not want residents to leave their yards in search of water,” he said.
“We are in a crisis, with ongoing debates about the supply dams, so people need alternative water sources. Our goal is for residents to access water within their communities.”
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