Chronicle Editor
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
EMPUMALANGA Phase 4 residents have resolved to approach the courts seeking to seek relief from the frustration caused by lack cooperation in resolving the dispute between the Hwange Local Board (HLB) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) over the four-month-long water crisis.
The residents were disconnected by Zinwa sometime in February over a debt owed to it by Hwange Local Board (HLB in a move that has left over 800 households without running water and exposes them to outbreak of cholera.
The development came as the two authorities were locked in protracted wrangle over management of water with council arguing that its failure to manage the water infrastructure was affecting efficient service delivery.
Zinwa argued that the move to disconnect the local authority was meant to curtail the unsustainable growth of the bill, which had ballooned to over ZW$105 million.
Last month, residents petitioned HLB and the water authority before issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to have supplies restored. Residents argued that they have tried to engage both authorities but they have not received any satisfactory responses with the two tossing them about.
They also fear the continued disconnection would trigger waterborne diseases in the area as people are opting for open ablution. The residents have on several occasions applied to the police to hold a peaceful march to force the authority to resolve the crisis and restore normal water supplies but were barred.
An engagement meeting between the resident representatives and HLB chairperson, Clr Morrison Mafa, failed to break even as residents accused the councilor of attempting to sabotage their cause by allegedly demanding that his office be engaged first.
Committee chairperson, Mr Piwe Mhaba Ngwenya told Chronicle that the residents were resorting to seeking legal remedies after exhausting all avenues of engagements while accusing council of not acting to address their predicament.
“The issue is that people in phase 4 are suffering but some people are trying to suppress our efforts. We have not had water for the past four months now and they (HLB) know the situation on the ground and they are doing nothing about it,” he said.
“But when we want to engage the authorities some people frustrate us saying we shouldn’t be the ones going there but shouldn’t be going to their offices instead.
“We are the people directly affected by water crisis. Nothing has come out, we are still fighting the issue we have gone around as a committee engaging relevant authorities, we recently submitted a petition to HLB, Zinwa, District Development Coordinator, Zanu PF District Coordinating Committee, police and President’s Office.”
Mr Ngwenya said their lawyers were in the process of approaching the courts for legal remedies because this issue has dragged on for too long.
“We are suffering without water, the situation is dire and we are mere victims in the war between HLB and Zinwa,” said Ngwenya.
It is not the first time that residents have been disconnected as early last year Zinwa pulled the plug, shutting down the bulk meter supplying the local authority’s Empumalanga Phase 4 over a then Z$38 million debt. HLB would later respond by billing Zinwa for using its infrastructure to distribute water to residents.
The war intensified following Zinwa’s introduction of pre-paid water meters, which were initially rejected by residents who accused the authority of imposing the model on them. In light of this development, the local authority had since resolved to hand over management of water in Phase 4 to Zinwa arguing that while they had the capacity, the water regulator was making it practically impossible to run it.
Mr Ngwenya said while residents were suffering from the turf war the intervention of a water bowser was not a lasting solution as it was fuelling conflicts at water points as residents scrambled to access the precious resource.
“The water being brought by the bowser is not enough, which is contributing to incidents of increased conflict at the distribution points. So, the authorities are using a 10 000-litre jojo tank, which is carried by a tipper truck and we are looking at an average of 700 families and this is never enough, especially given that each household is being given an equivalent of four 20 litre buckets of water per delivery not daily,” he said.
“This doesn’t work out, the jojo tank is never a solution, the lasting solution is running water in our taps.”
His counterpart, Mrs Irene Shangwa who is the vice chairperson bemoaned the toll that the unavailability of running water was having on persons with disabilities and women before calling on council to hand over water to Zinwa.
“We need water everyday as it is life, everything around our lives revolves around water and its lack thereof is affecting us terribly.
“I’m crippled, which begs the question how do I get carry a 20l bucket in my condition noting that I have grand children who need to be washed and cooked for but there is no water,” she said.
“There is cholera now and we need to flush the toilets but how can we do that without water? Can these two fight their battles somewhere else and leave the water flowing in the resident’s houses.
“If council is not able to provide this service why do they not hand over water to Zinwa until such time when they are able to run the service?”
Residents say the turf water war between HLB and Zinwa has caused them untold suffering after the latter disconnected them.
“This war is seriously affecting us as this is not the first time we been without running water. It’s unfair that the two authorities are dragging innocent residents into this fight. Let them fight but leave us out of it because what we need is water,” said Mr Simon Sibanda.
Women who spoke to Chronicle said the unavailability of running water was negatively impacting them with some falling to victims to gender-based violence while searching for water.
“We are appealing for water from council or Zinwa, this crisis is affecting women, children and the elderly. We have cases of elderly people collapsing while attempting to get water at the bowser as people scrambled for the limited resource.
“As women we are the most affected as we have to search for water for household use. Some women and girls have been waylaid and attacked, especially in the evening as they are coming from a stream to fetch water or using the bush,” said one resident who identified herself as Mrs Mpofu.
Another resident, said as a mother nursing a baby, she was being forced to walk to VID to fetch water to augment the ration from the council bowser.
“I have a baby and I’m being forced to walk to DRC in search of water. Sometimes we are denied access by the owners, which forces me to make the long walk to VID,” she said.
“The water we are getting from the water bowser is not enough as I have to wash my baby’s clothes more frequently.”
Meanwhile, water barons have cropped up in the sprawling suburb with some taking advantage of the dire situation to extort desperate residents, especially the elderly.
Some are using unprotected water sources such as streams with women now at risk of being attacked and sexually abused.
Though council has been trying to supply water through a 5 000-litre water bowser, residents argue that it is not even enough to cater for all of them and the consistency of deliveries is not guaranteed.
Efforts to get a comment from HLB acting town secretary, Mr Paulos Mabhureni and Zinwa head of corporate communication and marketing, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga were fruitless as they had not responded to questions sent to their mobile phones.
Online Reporter