By Staff Reporter
RESIDENTS of the newly formal settlement area of Cowboy took to the streets of Katima Mulilo on Monday demanding for water and basic services.
They marched in solidarity with chanting slogans to the Katima Mulilo Town Council offices after they handed over their petition to Zambezi Regional Governor, Mr. Lawrence Sampofu, demanding for the clean water and better service delivery from Katima Mulilo Town Council.
The concerned residents have accused the Katima Urban Constituency Councillor Bernard Sibalatani, who is also serving as a Member of Parliament in the National Council, Deputy Mayor Georgina Mwiya and Charles Matengu Katima Mayor for not meeting their requests in this plight for diverting their petitions during their term in office .
This has also aggravated the entire council for failing to supply water at their respective households and for charging sewerage and refuse removal without consultations as these have not been rendered to them.
Reading the speech on their behalf was Mr. Bornbright Saukwa who stressed in the petition that residents of Cowboy are facing a water shortage for five (5) years now as they are forced to walk 2km to fetch water from other suburbs and this also led to other residents “such as disabled who cannot walk, children and senior citizens are forced to dig wells in their plots”. Read the petition.
Mr. Saukwa also added in the petition that some of the residents have finished paying the Katima Council for connection of water as from last year but till to no avail.
Some have finished buying their plots from KMTC but they are still not been offered the title deeds of property and they have been charged services for refuse removal as they are no municipal wastes collected as from last year.
They are also demanding for the erection of the public school as this is only shown on the site map of formalization and therefore advised that failure to this has thus created an adverse effect to school going children who have been forced to walk long distances in bushes which are not developed to neighbouring location like Greenwell Matongo for their education.
“Land is given to other residents from other locations while others who have been sharing plots before formalization are not given” they call cried foul
According to them, service delivery to Cowboy residents is still a major problem and demanded Nored to bring electricity outlet closer to their doors to cut away long distances to town.
They further called upon Governor Sampofu to intervene in the affairs of Katima Mulilo Town Council in 14 days without any further delay to immediately solve the current state.
However, Sampofu promised to look into their request after a while as he was travelling.