Online Reporter
Fidelis Munyoro-Chief Court Reporter
CHITUNGWIZA Residents Trust and eight residents have filed a High Court application seeking an order compelling Chitungwiza Municipality to urgently upgrade and repair its failing sewer system.
The applicants argue that years of raw sewage overflows have violated constitutional rights to health, dignity, and a clean environment.
The application highlights continuous sewer bursts that have left raw sewage flowing in streets, homes, and public spaces, exposing communities to serious health risks, including cholera outbreaks.
Residents allege long-standing neglect by the municipality despite numerous complaints and ultimatums from civic groups.
The court papers detail cases of sewage flowing along school routes in Ward 6 and seeping into homes in Ward 12.
The untreated effluent is said to reach the Manyame River, posing regional health hazards. The applicants accuse Chitungwiza Municipality of breaching constitutional provisions and relevant laws, including the Environmental Management Act and Public Health Act.
They want the municipality directed to rehabilitate the sewer system within three months and publish a detailed emergency action plan within a month.
The Environmental Management Agency is included as a respondent to oversee compliance.
The residents also allege corruption within the municipality, claiming council employees demand informal payments before attending to sewer repairs.
They argue this further undermines service delivery and breaches their legal rights.
The case is being handled by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights on behalf of the applicants.
Bongani Ndlovu