Thobekile Khumalo
MAPHISA and Kezi areas under Matobo District in Matabeleland South have gone for more than two weeks without electricity and water due to stolen copper cables that link the areas.
In an interview, Matobo Rural District Council acting District Development Co-ordinator Mr Obey Chaputsira said people in the area were now fearing for the outbreak of water-borne disease.
“The residents are living in fear of water-borne diseases because some wards in Maphisa and Kezi have no borehole and now they rely on buying water which goes for $2 dollars per 20-litre bucket.
Maphisa District Hospital has for the past two weeks has not been fully functional due to this. Even Command Agriculture in Maphisa which was harvesting wheat is suffering greatly and cannot conduct its day-to-day work because they rely on electricity driven machines and the crops they are irrigating at the moment have not been watered ever since,” said Mr Chaputsira.
Zinwa Mzingwane catchment manager Mr Farai Manzira said they were working on a short-term measure in order to provide water for Maphisa and Kezi.
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