adminTakunda Maodza Senior Reporter
AT LEAST 31 000 Redcliff residents, among them 9 000 children, were de-wormed after being infected by parasites suspected to be tapeworms that thrive in filthy conditions, as the town faces a health catastrophe after failing to provide basic services, The Herald can reveal.
Redcliff is home to over 36 000 people and had been under the management of MDC-T for the past five years that saw the situation deteriorating to alarming levels.
The collapse of Redcliff has also been attributed to the non-operation of NewZim Steel, which provides 60 percent of the town’s revenue.
The closure of the former giant steel maker over a decade ago left over 4000 Redcliff residents unemployed and unable to pay rates as sanctions induced economic hardships bit.
Tapeworms are intestinal parasites that are flattened like a tape measure. A tapeworm survives within the gut of an animal, including humans and they can be infected if there is contact with animal stools or contaminated water.
Tapeworms can grow up to 20 metres in human intestines and will need treatment to get rid of them since in some extreme cases they can block intestines.
Redcliff council sources told The Herald yesterday that the situation there forced a high-powered delegation from the embattled municipality led by mayor Cde Freddy Kapuya to engage Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha on Monday where they pleaded with him to fast-track the resuscitation of NewZim Steel.
They reportedly indicated that NewZim Steel “was the nerve centre” of the town and its closure had caused untold suffering to residents.
A document prepared by council on the state of affairs in Redcliff shows a town in turmoil as residents have been suffering since 2010 until recently when there was an outbreak of the disease.
“There has been a decrease in the personal and environmental health of the community as a result of sewer blockages and lack of proper sanitation, which resulted in worm infestation in Torwood that saw over 31 000 inhabitants being de-wormed, including 9000 children.
“This was mainly due to the use of untreated sewer from non-functional sewer plants, use of untreated discharge for the purposes of irrigating gardens by residents and the use of bush toilets by residents who shun public toilets,” reads the dossier prepared by town clerk Mrs Elizabeth Gwatipedza.
Although the disease appears to have been contained, council recommends sewer reticulation upgrading saying population growth had surpassed the design capacity of the reticulation system and US$8.4 million was required for rehabilitation.
“The local authority is also constantly fined by the Environmental Management Agency as its sewer treatment plants are not fully operational due to the shortage of resources to repair existing infrastructure.
“The treatment plant in Redcliff is incomplete and needs US$2 million for completion to get out of the “Red” category and to be in compliance with EMA standards. The treatment plant in the suburb of Rutendo also needs to be rehabilitated and it needs US$800 000.
The sewer ponds in Torwood also need to be rehabilitated at an estimated cost of US$500 000,” further reads the document.
Redcliff has also been operating without a fire tender for over five years, no refuse collection trucks and with 36 000 residents depending on a single ambulance.
“The local authority has been operating without a fire tender for over five years, a situation that has seen quite a number of properties being gutted to the ground as the closest assistance comes from Kwekwe City Council.
Currently, the local authority is also operating with one ambulance which is grossly overworked. The municipality of Redcliff is operating without a refuse compactor and this has made refuse removal a very big challenge. Currently, council uses a small tractor to try and service all three suburbs and also to assist with road maintenance.”
The water situation is also bad with US$10.4 million required for the rehabilitation of water infrastructure. Council engaged the African Development Bank for funding but only received US$2.1 million leaving a US$8.3 million deficit. Residents do not have constant water supply and according to council some have not had water for the past five years.
Council says poverty levels have increased significantly forcing residents to engage in crime and other vices for sustenance.
“There is a lot of vandalism by residents in a bid to raise income. Two hundred manhole covers were stolen and this poses a serious risk of injury to the residents.
Three kilometres worth of electric cables were stolen compromising on street lighting as these need to be replaced first before street lights can be attended to. The local authority does not have adequate resources for the full replacement of these vandalised areas require a total of US$150 000,” further reads the document prepared by council.
Minister Bimha yesterday confirmed meeting a delegation from Redcliff over NewZim Steel.
“It is true we met and they want the new administration to speed up the resuscitation of NewZim Steel. They said without its resuscitation, there is no Redcliff Municipality to talk of,” he said.
Minister Bimha said frantic efforts were being made to revive NewZim Steel saying the deal was now at implementation stage.
Mayor Kapuya also confirmed the meeting saying council was optimistic that NewZim Steel would soon be resuscitated, injecting new lease of life in Redcliff.
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