adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Border Post is no doubt the country’s cash cow but ironically it suffers from a myriad of problems most of them emanating from it not being a priority in terms of resource allocation. It being a port of entry one would be forgiven for thinking that it mirrors the whole image of the country just like the airport but authorities seem to think otherwise as the town is sitting on a health time bomb as water remains a problem.
Over the past three decades it has been a case of “so near yet so far” for the border town, as despite sitting on the banks of the great Limpopo River and boasting one of the country’s biggest dams, Zhovhe, it has had perennial water shortages.
Zhovhe Dam is located 63km west of the town along Umzingwane River while the town lies within a kilometre of the Limpopo River. Sadly, the town has never been able to take advantage of its proximity to these two water bodies to solve its water problems and supplement the little that comes from Zimbabwe National Water Authority’s water treatment plant which only operates on emergency basis.
According to the last population census, the town has a population of 42 218 and 11 959 households. These numbers continue to increase each day due to the town’s proximity to South Africa and the hive of economic and commercial activities typical of most ports of entry in Sub Saharan Africa.
The population naturally started ballooning following the construction of the Alfred Beit-Bridge in 1929 and the New Limpopo Bridge in 1994. Beitbridge Town is a cauldron of many different cultures as it is frequented by people from many countries, with at least 170 000 of them passing through its entry and exit points every month.
Further an average of 15 000 heavy trucks also use the border post per month and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) reportedly collects an average of $2 million per day at the same port. It is also understood that 30 percent of Government revenue comes from Zimra and a further 70 percent of Zimra’s money comes from Beitbridge.
The Zimbabwe National Roads Agency (Zinara) collects an average of $8 000 from both tollgates on roads leading to Masvingo and Bulawayo on each day. They also collect around $1 million in toll fees per month from vehicles accessing the country or South Africa through the New Limpopo Bridge.
In 2008 the country experienced a nasty cholera outbreak between August and December which saw a total of 11 735 cases being reported across the country. Harare (Budiriro) contributed 50 percent of the cases while Beitbridge because of it being a transit town recorded 26 percent. Beitbridge Ward 6 (Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai) and residents in the suburb were the hardest hit during the cholera outbreak and they are still at the receiving end.
They are relying on the bush system for toilets, while others rely on six boreholes and streams for water for domestic use and have approached various stakeholders to address their plight but nothing has materialised. Human waste has become a common feature in the stream where most people get water while others use buckets during the night. These buckets are emptied in the nearby bushes or footpaths around the suburb.
Realising the unhealthy situation the World Bank responded to the crisis by availing $2,95 million in November 2010 towards capacitating the border town’s water and sanitation facilities though the Hlalani Kuhle residents were not beneficiaries despite being the hardest hit by the disease.
It is understood that the cash strapped local authority needs at least $2 million to cover the 412 stands in the Hlalani Kuhle stands and a further $3,3 million for the other 2 200 in the same ward. Water woes continue to dog the town while the local council is issuing residential stands which are not serviced and with no water reticulation facilities.
In some cases residents in the new suburbs with the capacity to sink private boreholes have done so to beat the water blues. However, Beitbridge town secretary Mr Loud Ramakgapola said they were working on private public partnerships on issues of water and sanitation, but the partnerships were progressing at a snail’s pace.
Government proposed to establish the Beitbridge Bridge Fund after assuming ownership of the New Limpopo Bridge at the expiry of a 20-year Built Operate and Transfer agreement with NLB Limited. That fund among other things is to be used in upgrading the border post and capital projects in Beitbridge town though it is yet to see the light of the day due to ongoing consultations between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
According to Zinwa spokesperson Mrs Marjorie Munyonga they need $700 000 to complete the construction of a new water treatment pump that has the capacity to pump 2 160 cubic litres of water per hour. The town needs 15 000 cubic litres of water per day but the parastatal is only pumping 6 000 cubic litres.
Considering that the Government is realising most of its revenue from Beitbridge and that the town also caters for the transit population which also contributes to the national purse it is time that Government reviews its resource allocation systems.
Bongani Ndlovu