The major threat has been HIV/AIDS which has increased mortality rates in the city.Indicators suggests that measures which have been taken to reduce HIV infections have had a positive effect.  Measures taken include reduction of HIV transmission through primary prevention.  Reducing mother and child transmission and the practice of IMCI.  The current macroeconomic climate has also affected health delivery services in Bulawayo.  With shortages of drugs and expensive consultation fees and movement of staff to greener pastures, the health sector has been adversely affected.

Crime rates could be attributed to the poor economic climate prevailing in the country.  In  its response to increasing crime, the police and Bulawayo citizen organised neighbourhood watch committees which have encouraging results in almost all the neighbourhoods of the city.  The overall impression is that the city is peaceful and safe and the police have managed to keep crime rates from reaching unmanagable propositions.  No areas in the city are considered no go areas at any point in time.

Although data on poor households was not available, a large preposition (55%) of the population  is not formally employed, hence one can safely assume that the majority of the city is under the poverty datum line.

Bulawayo can boast to have one of  the best housing stock in Zimbabwe. Although the concept of housing for all has not been achieved. People have managed to find adequate shelter whether by renting or lodging. This is demonstrated by the small number of squatters, vagrants and street kids as compared to other cities.  The number of squatters is estimated at 3000 for the entire city and this indicates a high rate of  housing proviso.  The housing stock can be divided into three types high density (200-400m2) medium density (401-600m2) and low density (601 and above) and these correspond with the income brackets. Traditionally low and medium density housing has been owner built and constitutes approximately 25% of the total housing in Bulawayo.

The predominant type of tenure is freehold as shown by indicator 1.However there is a phenomena of lodging which is difficult to account for in terms of numbers. However when we compare the current housing stock of 120 000 to the population of 1000 000, there is a ratio of over eight people per housing unit.  This suggests that there are at least two families living in one house.  As the indicators (1&5) show that the majority of housing is either owned or mortgaged.  Then those who do not own housing are  renting from private individuals.  This is a result of the deliberate policy of promoting homeownership.  The housing which is given as tenant housing in the indicators mainly represents flats and apartments which are concerntrated in the Central Business District.  The 1992 CSO census placed lodgers as 32.88% of number of households       

The total number of evictions in Bulawayo was difficult to determine because most tenants are renting from private homes and no records are kept. Bulawayo follows national policy in terms of housing rights.  There is no discriminating by gender or marital status.  If you have access to funds you may register on the Municipal housing list. These figures were not readily available, in particular rent to income ratios for the same reason as lack of data on evictions.

Bulawayo has a 100% ratio of access to water, according to the definition given.  The majority of these houses in the city  have tape water inside the house.  The only houses with stand pipes are those in the older high density suburbs and those in the peri -urban areas of Hyde Park.  It is Council policy that all new residential suburbs should be fully serviced with water, sewer and roads before housing development can be undertaken.   Servicing may be done by the private sector or by the Municipality. From about 1993 the municipality has been taking a backseat in housing provision.  In Emganwini and Pumula South, the Council put in the services with world bank funding and the private sector developed the housing.  Development is largely being done in a public/private partnership arrangement with Council now playing a facilitatory role in co-ordination development, giving technical advise, ensuring compliance to regulations and by-laws and monitoring development to ensure compliance.  In Cowdray park, a scheme with about 20 000 housing units being built the private sector with the assistance of USAID has been responsible for all servicing and construction of housing.  All new households are also connected to electricity as indicator seven shows.  However telephone connections are still far below required levels.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

The city has been experiencing a steady growth in population of about 4% per annum.  This low rate is partly attributed to the increased death rates and the depressed economy which does not encourage immigration. Bulawayo has been lagging behind Harare in terms of growth of both the economy and the population. This is reflected in the City Product Indicator.

The drought periods which the city has experienced regularly from 1983 led the  introduction of water rationing which was only lifted after the 1999-2000 rainy season.  This long period of water shortages has lead to the development of a culture of conservation of water.  It has been noted that in the periods that rationing was temporarily lifted there was no marked change in consumption patterns. Consumption in Bulawayo is determined by supply rather than demand. With the lifting of rationing in 1999 there was also an introduction of tight water pricing system, where higher levels of consumption attract a progressively higher rates for each succeeding unit of water.  This is a means of controlling water consumption without having to go back to rationing.

The city only has capacity to monitor sulphur dioxide and from indicator 15 its levels have not exceeded WHO standards.  However in the area surrounding cement siding where clay bricks and cement is manufactured there is clear evidence with the dust in the air and on trees in the vicinity that this is a pollution hazard area.  The other worry areas is the pollutants from factories which are discharged into Matsheumhlophe river which has become known as stench trench.  This river runs along the outskirts of the CBD and at times emits a terrible stench especially when the rainy season is over.

The majority of solid waste is disposed off at the Richmond Landfill site as shown by indicator 17.  This situation is not seen as desirable in view of the environmental consequences of this method.  The encouragement of recycling and reduction of generation of waste at source is considered to be important for the city. Education of the public and improved collection would also reduce the instances of illegal dumping which has become prevalent in open spaces.

Bulawayo’s vehicle fleet stands at more than 93501 vehicles of these approximately 73%  are private vehicles 2% are minibuses, 1% are buses and 6% are non motorised. The minibuses are the largest means of public transport after the deregulation to allow private operators to become involved in public transport provision.The deregulation has resulted in the reduction of travel time as shown in indicator 18 from 29 minutes to 15 minutes for an average one way trip to the city centre. Waiting times at termini have also been reduces as minibuses are faster and more frequent than conventional buses and account for approximately 75% of all work trips.

However the continued increases in fares, caused mainly by fuel price hikes have lead to many people resorting to walking to work as opposed to using public transport at $15 per trip.  This is proving to be very taxing on people’s incomes figures of how many people are affected are not readily available.  However, this suggests that Bulawayo will in the long term be compelled to examine a more cost effective mass transportation system.

The city has a long record of being environmentally conscience.  It has subscribed to local agenda 21 and has had various committees in its history which have dealt with environmental matters i.e. beautiful Bulawayo and the parks committee. Bulawayo also has three game parks which are directly run by a department of the Municipality.  The concern for conversation  for resources has also seen the initiation of the Bulawayo water conservation and services sector upgrading project with the assistance of NORAD.  This project is aimed to maximise the use of available water and to reduce loss through leakages in the system.  The city has also adopted a strategic plan and is currently undertaking  the master plan review, both of which recognise the importance of environmental issues as a key component to a sustainable city.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The prevailing depressed economic climate has been widely felt in Bulawayo since the mid- 1980s there has been minimal investment as demonstrated by the lack of new buildings in the CBD as opposed to Harare which completely changed its skyline.  As there has been little formal investment people have had to be innovative and engage in informal activities, both legal and illegal.  Although statistics are not available, it is widely believed that a significant proportion of the 55% refereed as unemployed in indicator 22.  are involved in the informal sector.  Informal activities include vending, flea markets, backyard manufacturing,  cross border trading and dealing  which encompasses any activity which generates income and is illegal. However this informal sector is recognised as a key component to economic development of Bulawayo and thus the city has been actively involved in the promotions of SME’s. A number of business incubators or factory shells are operational in the Kelvin industrial areas.These are specifically targeted to be used by small budding entrepreneurs who do not have the resources to set up their own establishments.They are meant to give them time to build up their resources for over a period of say five years before they are expected to stand on their own feet and leave space for new individuals.  The incubators are designed to be flexible in order to accommodate any type of industry and occupants pay a nominal rental.  Council has also allowed industrial stands to be shared by many operators.This is prevalent at Renkini and Kelvin areas.By sharing, the occupants reduce their overload costs.

With reduced Council resources, public private partnerships have emerged where services which were previously supplied or run by Council are being taken over by the private sector.  The most significant field has been in the provision of low cost housing.The Cowdray Park scheme is the most outstanding in that all servicing is being done by the private sector as well as development of the housing. Council’s role has been to provide the surveyed stands and to supervise the contractors to ensure compliance with Council regulations and by laws.  Some functions of Council are also being commercialized.The first to go was the Liquor Undertaking sector which may operate as a Commercial Undertaking.This shedding of non core activities and encouraging private sector involvement has released Council from some of its financial obligations.

The city product has shown that in real terms the standard of living has gone down in Bulawayo. Bulawayo’s share towards the gross national product has also gone down.  This is a worrying scenario for Bulawayo as it indicates that the city is losing its competitive edge.  Clear strategies are needed to stimulate the local economy. This role is not only for the Council but all Bulawayo stakeholders.  Indicators 22 shows that formal employment has decreased by 28%. Although stated that most have been absorbed into the formal sector,  it is still an indication of the fall in levels of investment in the city.

GOVERNANCE

The central government has a strong say in matters of local authorities.  This applies to all cities uniformly in particular to taxation and funding.  To raise local funding Bulawayo has to be innovative in its fund raising. This would include tendering and leasing facilities, commercial sector of activities and contracting out of services such as street cleaning and grave digging.
 
The right for citizens to be consulted in enshrined in existing legislation such as the Regional Town and Country Planning Act where it is compulsory for a local authority
to put it local and master plans on public deposit before they can be adopted. However, despite this legislation there is lack of public awareness of their rights.  However through workshops and seminars awareness is gradually increasing. The on going master plan exercise organised a public meeting to gather opinions of the various stakeholders of Bulawayo. This visioning exercise was the first of its kind in Bulawayo and it produced positive results from the participants.This is an example of Bulawayo’s commitment to  involving its citizens in the decision making process. 

Bulawayo has also endeavored to have transparency and accountability in its governance.  There are regular independent and as well as internal audits of municipal accounts and of the services provided.There is also monitoring of staff to ensure ethical practices.  All municipal contracts are as a matter of policy placed on public tender. Any services which have to be negotiated over are done so with the approval of full council meeting.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES

Indicator 23 reflects the strain that local authorities are facing from the prevailing economic climate.  Revenue is decreasing as the national government is unable to continue to fund the local authorities and at the same time expenditure is increasing. Bulawayo as a consequence has been compelled to streamline its operations and rationalise the operations of its departments. This include parks, nurseries, swimming pools, community halls, garbage disposal, grave digging and road making.  Various methods are used i.e. leasing, contracting, commercialisation and creating strategic business units.