Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere-Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has approved the Zimbabwe National Water Authority Amendment Bill.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Zhemu Soda said the Bill seeks to strengthen corporate governance and clarify the water regulator’s future role.
In his post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, the Minister said the Bill’s proposed principles are designed to align ZINWA’s operations with evolving policy, legal and constitutional developments, particularly focusing on how the institution functions within Government systems.
Central to the proposed amendments, the Minister said, is the plan to streamline ZINWA’s dual and conflicting roles—those of regulator and service provider—which Cabinet believes have become misaligned with modern governance requirements.
Minister Soda said the regulatory function would be removed and transferred to Government, with ZINWA being transformed into a pure service provider.
Under the proposed changes, the Ministry would assume responsibility for the regulatory function, while ZINWA would focus on delivering water services as a service-oriented entity.
“Cabinet noted and approved the Zimbabwe National Water Authority Amendment Bill,” said Minister Soda.
The principles for the amendment of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority Act [Chapter 20:25] seek to engender sound corporate governance in line with policy, legal and constitutional developments.
“The principles will specifically entail the streamlining of ZINWA’s dual and conflicting roles of regulator and service provider.
“The regulatory function will be removed and transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, with ZINWA evolving into a pure service-providing agent of Government, in line with the Public Entities and Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:31],” said Minister Soda.
In a related matter, the Minister said Cabinet considered and noted the principles for the amendment of the Water Act.
“The principles have been necessitated by the need to realign the Water Act with the Constitution and to update the Act so that it becomes relevant to the current development agenda, as water is essential for developing all sectors of the economy,” said Minister Soda.
He said the judicious management and equitable allocation of water, while preserving every water source for the benefit of future generations, has become imperative.
“The amendments are designed to transform the Water Act from primarily a resource management law into a more comprehensive legal framework that integrates constitutional imperatives, economic considerations, environmental sustainability, institutional accountability and stronger regulatory oversight,” said Minister Soda.
