Outrage as Bulawayo City Plans Lavish South Africa Trip Amid Water Crisis.

By Dorrothy Moyo | In an era of digital transformation, public institutions must prioritize cost-efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness to citizens’ needs. One major opportunity lies in adopting video conferencing technologies — such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet — for attending international meetings and engagements.

Key Benefits:

• Cost Savings: Airfares, accommodation, meals, allowances, and other travel-related expenses can be eliminated, saving thousands of dollars that can be redirected to essential public services.
• Efficiency: Meetings held digitally minimize time lost to travel logistics, allowing officials to remain actively engaged with local responsibilities while participating internationally.
• Accessibility: More officials and stakeholders can be included in knowledge exchanges without incurring additional costs, broadening participation and understanding.
• Environmental Impact: Reduced travel lowers the carbon footprint of government operations, supporting sustainability goals.
• Public Trust: Demonstrating fiscal responsibility by avoiding unnecessary travel enhances the credibility of public institutions and builds public trust.
• Technological Readiness: Embracing digital solutions signals a modern, forward-looking approach to governance, positioning institutions as innovative and adaptable.

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Unless absolutely necessary for hands-on assessments, public officials should prioritize attending international meetings via video conferencing. This approach not only conserves public funds but also demonstrates leadership’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources.

Bulawayo residents are furious after revelations that the City Council plans to send a 25-member delegation — including councillors, senior managers, and consultants — to South Africa for a “fact-finding” mission that critics say could easily be conducted via video conference at a fraction of the cost.

The trip, set for this Friday, would see officials travel to Johannesburg Water to study its governance and operations, even as the city’s own residents endure one of the worst water shortages in years. The planned delegation includes Mayor David Coltart, his deputy Edwin Ndlovu, and key committee chairpersons, despite public consultations overwhelmingly rejecting the creation of a new water utility company in Bulawayo.

Leaked internal communications show that even within the council, the trip is causing bitter divisions. Mayor Coltart himself warned in a councillors’ WhatsApp group chat that sending such a large group would appear “exceptionally insensitive” and “irresponsible” given the dire situation on the ground. He recommended a slimmed-down team of no more than eight people — mainly technical experts — if the trip was deemed absolutely necessary.

Yet despite these concerns, the council appears determined to push ahead with what many are calling an unnecessary junket.

“It is still being debated,” Coltart told reporters yesterday, admitting the controversy but insisting that studying Johannesburg Water could be beneficial. However, critics argue that any learning could easily be achieved through modern communication tools like Zoom, without spending precious ratepayer funds on travel, accommodation, and allowances.

The city recently proposed creating a new water and sanitation utility — a private limited company wholly owned by the city — in a bid to improve service delivery, attract funding, and address chronic infrastructure failures. BCC officials claim the initiative is vital to secure an earmarked US$17 million investment and to benefit from international technical partnerships.

However, with trust in local authorities at an all-time low, many see the South Africa trip as yet another example of misplaced priorities, poor judgment, and tone-deaf leadership.

“How can they justify luxury travel when residents are queuing for water with buckets and desperate for solutions?” asked one angry resident. “If Johannesburg Water has something important to share, they can present it on a video call. This is 2025, not 1995.”

As the storm grows, pressure is mounting on BCC to cancel or drastically scale back the trip — or risk further alienating a weary and frustrated public.