Violence in Alternative Waterpoints Report Presented to BCC Management
Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights has presented the survey report on Conflict and Violence in Bulawayo’s alternative water points to the Bulawayo City Council management.
The virtual report presentation was presented to 12 BCC management members on Thursday 20 May 2021 and key emerging issues included:
- The need to engage Councilors with the report and to establish their sentiments on some of the research questions
- BCC has trained water point committees in all water kiosks and some boreholes
Hyde Park Residents Organise to Defend Environmental Rights from Quarry Mining
MIHR met with representatives of Bulawayo Peri-Urban Hyde Park villages consisting of Robert Sinyoka, St Peters, New Mazwi and Methodist Villages to plan for a capacity building workshop that will empower the villagers to protect their environmental rights from quarry mining activities to take place in their communities.
The villagers are concerned that the quarry mining to commence in their community may have adverse impacts on the environment and MIHR is working with the community to empower them on environmental rights and to develop a community environment and human rights charter.
The workshop is set for the last week of May 2021.
MIHR Community Reportback, Feedback and Online Activism on Water
MIHR conducted a community reportback meeting in Makokoba to give an update to the Bulawayo Water Action social movement members on water activism and developments in Bulawayo. The meeting was also aimed at giving a report to the community on the findings of a violence in alternative water points survey and generating ideas to monitor, document and prevent violence in Bulawayo’s alternative water points.
The organization also took time to introduce to the members a Bulawayo City Council mobile application.
Key takeaways from the meeting:
- The BUWA Makokoba team wants training in peacebuilding and conflict management skills as well as in documenting human rights violations and violence in alternative water points;
- The Team is concerned about the diarrhea outbreak in Emganwini and wants MIHR to probe the quality of borehole water in Bulawayo;
- Of the 10 team members present only 2 have heard of the Bulawayo City Council mobile app and none had installed it on their phone. MIHR assisted all of them to download and explained how the app operates. The members were encouraged to use the app to report water concerns and to get access to information.
MIHR is going to be doing these community reportback, feedback, ideas generation and e-activism in other Bulawayo Communities.
Source: Matabeleland Institute of Human Rights
