As I peer into the gloom of the dimly lit cavern of a room, I pick out the figure of Ward One Councillor, Edward Manning sitting at his desk. But something’s not right. Then it hits me. The Councillor’s desk is the only piece of furniture in the room. His assistant, Dixon Mohammed, who is also the Ward’s C.A.T chairman, tinkers with a telephone handset that has long ago, given up the ghost.

Cllr. Manning rises to welcome me and says; “Take a seat.” Looking around the bare room, I decide that the edge of the Councillors desk presents a better option than the floor. The next quarter of an hour is spent chatting with Cllr. Manning and Mr. Mohammed. Then it’s time to leave. I rise, take a few photos and head for the exit.

But what is the purpose of this seemingly pointless discourse? It is to highlight the plight with which the Ward One incumbent is faced. According to standard local authority procedure, the City Council is obliged to allocate each elected Councillor with an office at any one of its numerous premises. The Councillor, renowned for his dedicated work in the cause to uplift the disadvantaged, cannot be said to be well off. He barely makes out with two flea-market stands in down-town Bulawayo.

Although ZDDT has an initiative aimed at providing each of the Cities’s Councillors with basic office furnishings, Cllr. Manning will wait his turn to receive his allocation, since funding for this programme is yet to be completed. In the meantime, he is looking to the generosity of well-wisher willing to help out.

Councillor Manning may be contacted as follows:

Telephone: +263 9 65201. Mobile: +263 772 331 424

Alternatively: Telephone: +263 9 230017 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..