Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has clarified his position regarding cultural events in the city amidst ongoing water shortages, emphasizing the need to prioritize resources to avert a potential disaster.
Recent reports suggested that Coltart had walked out of a meeting with the city’s finance committee following a disagreement over the proposed funding of US$300,000 for the Bulawayo Arts Festival scheduled for June.
In response to these claims, Coltart stated in an interview with Standard Style that the story about him leaving the meeting was incorrect; he had to attend another meeting elsewhere.
“I expressed my view and then gave my apologies and left to go to the other meeting,” Coltart explained. “So I didn’t walk out. It was a perfectly amicable debate going on.”
Coltart emphasized that he is not against allocating funds to artistic endeavors, recognizing the importance of arts and culture in the city. However, he underscored the urgency of addressing the current water crisis.
“In this year, we are facing major water shortages, and for example, we have to raise US$15 million to rehabilitate the pipeline,” Coltart elaborated. “It is critical that we divert all possible resources towards ensuring that we don’t run out of water.”
He clarified that prioritizing water provision should not be misconstrued as being against arts and culture but rather as an emergency measure. Coltart assured that once the situation stabilizes, efforts will be made to adequately fund arts and culture initiatives.
“The intention is not to undermine the cultural promotion of the city; far from it,” Coltart affirmed. “What we need to do is focus on ensuring that we survive as a city, focus on ensuring that citizens get water.”
Coltart highlighted the worsening water situation, particularly in high-density communities, emphasizing the need to invest heavily in water provision to prevent a potential catastrophe.
“As you know, many people, particularly in high-density areas, are at best getting water one day a week, and that is going to worsen,” Coltart warned. “Our dams are sitting at 39% at the end of the rainy season, and we face a potential catastrophe.”
He concluded by reiterating that prioritizing water provision does not diminish the city’s cultural promotion efforts but rather ensures its survival.
“If people die in their tens of thousands because they have no water, that undermines the city,” Coltart emphasized. “We need to stabilize the city, and then we can turn our attention to this critical and valuable process of promoting the city’s art and cultural heritage.”
