Zimbabwe

June 24, 2008

The Bulawayo City Council has unveiled a social facility for the elderly in the city which will cushion all pensioners over the age of 80 from the current harsh economic conditions in the country. 

This noble facility among other benefits will see the elderly paying 50 percent less in supplementary charges and tax rebates on specified services. 

The City Fathers have also gone an extra mile by reserving a paying point for the pensioners in all its service halls. 

The scheme is being implemented by both the city's Treasury Department and the Housing and Community Service Department. 

Under the scheme social workers from the Community Services Department screens beneficiaries of the facility. 

"The section from the city's Treasury Department has created billing codes for the pensioners and this ensures efficiency. Since the scheme started, it has received overwhelming response with more than 300 pensioners having benefited," said spokesperson for the council. 

The pensioners rebate scheme is the most outstanding scheme, although it is not the only case where the City Fathers have prioritized the elderly. 

In August last year, the council resolved to charge sewerage charges below normal for old people's homes in the city. The decision was made by the council when one of the old people's homes pleaded with the local authority to pay low rates. 

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