TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The City of Bulawayo is plotting a crackdown on open air churches across the city amid complaints by residents of noise pollution.
Speaking at a full council meeting this week, Bulawayo deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube said: “The city is now dominated by flags of different churches. They are spreading cholera because they are using the bush as ablution facilities. I am saying let’s remove these churches from the city.”
Ward 4 Councillor Silas Chigora weighed in saying: “We are shocked whether it’s worshipping or money spinning activities, let’s write to these churches to say they should vacate those sites.
“Let us (also) engage someone like a debt collector who will go around removing these people because I am tired of the complaints of these churches. “
He added: “My community respects the environment, they respect trees, they respect rocks, they respect hills and mountains. Let’s engage someone to round up these churches just like we did in George Silundika, let’s do that and deal with this problem once and for all.”
Ward 27 councillor Alderman Siboniso Khumalo said the churches should apply for stands.
“But, the challenge is when political leaders go to those churches.”
Recently, the Churches Council of Africa (CCA) urged local authorities to avail land to indigenous churches to operate from.
Founder and president of the CCA bishop Rocky Moyo said local authorities were demanding large amounts of money.
“We have a very big challenge when it comes to the issue of land as churches. All the local authorities in the country demand a lot of money. They give land to those with money,” Moyo said.
He said corruption cases were rising within local authorities.
