Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu and Thupeyo Muleya, Chronicle Reporters
GWANDA and Beitbridge residents have been without water for the past four days after Zesa disconnected power to the water pumping systems over a combined $14 million debt.
Some residents who have access to private boreholes have started selling water for R5 per 20-litre bucket.
The two towns handle huge volumes of people in transit and any water-borne disease outbreak is likely to spread rapidly throughout the country.
In Gwanda town, residents have been queuing for long hours at the limited number of boreholes in search of the precious liquid. Some of the boreholes are not working which has left some residents stranded. Residents have said they are now forced to use plastic papers to relieve themselves which they later dump in dust bins while others are using the bush.
The situation has also affected the business community, schools, Government departments and various institutions.
Some schools are mulling closing down until the situation normalises.
“Even if I collect water from the borehole, I don’t have enough for my family to use in the toilets. There is no bush close to us and therefore our only option is to use plastic bags to relieve ourselves. I have three minor children and you can just imagine the pressure I have because they use the toilet regularly,” said Ms Sithokozile Moyo from Spitzkop North in Ward 5.
She is a vendor and for the past four days she has been waking up around 4am to fetch water from a borehole so that she could be at her vending place on time. Ms Moyo said people were crowding boreholes and in the process, disregarding Covid-19 regulations such as social distancing.
A resident from Ward 2, Mr Luke Sibanda said he tried to collect water over the weekend from a community borehole within the ward but it had a fault. He said it would have been ideal if the relevant authorities had alerted residents before cutting water supplies.
“As for me I have a prepaid water meter at my house so I don’t understand why I don’t have water.
This is really unacceptable because we are paying for a service and we expect delivery,” he said.
Another resident, Mr Molvin Dube, who is also the Gwanda Residents Association information and publicity officer said the town was sitting on a health time bomb. He said the prevailing situation was not acceptable especially now that the world is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Dube said they had engaged various stakeholders as the residents’ association and some institutions such as schools were now contemplating shutting down temporarily if the problem persists.
“There is now human waste everywhere as people don’t have water to use in toilets. Today children went to school but they were restricted from using the toilets because of this water challenge and if it persists some schools are contemplating closing. If nothing is done, we will have serious health consequences such as an outbreak of water-borne diseases like cholera.
“People are crowding boreholes and they are not sanitising which is a serious health threat considering the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
In an interview Zesa senior engineer, Peter Mushayabasa said he had engaged Zinwa and the municipality of Gwanda and they had reached a consensus.
“I was in a meeting with the municipality of Gwanda and Zinwa in a bid to come up with some form of payment plan. Zinwa owes us and we are aware that the municipality also owes Zinwa. We have agreed that Zinwa has to pay a certain percentage of the debt and then we can restore power. The municipality has to pay Zinwa who in turn have to pay us. Once the money reflects then we will restore power,” he said.
Gwanda Mayor, Councillor Njabulo Siziba said they had agreed that Zinwa should pay Zesa $1,5 million so that power can be restored. He said the municipality was supposed to pay the money to Zinwa and it will then pay Zesa. Clr Siziba said soon after the meeting their director of finance was instructed to process the payment. He said power is expected to be restored today.
“The meeting was fruitful as we managed to reach a consensus. As I speak to you we have already instructed our officials to process the payment to Zinwa which will then pay Zesa. We expect power to be restored this evening or tomorrow morning,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Beitbridge Zinwa has started pumping water after Zesa reconnected power.
Most areas in the border town’s CBD had started receiving water yesterday.
However, the situation remains dire in the western suburbs where there is a major pipe burst near the supply line to the reservoir tank that feeds most of those areas.
The situation has opened flood gates for water vendors who are selling borehole water for at least R5 per bucket to desperate residents.
Residents had resorted to fetching water from a few communal boreholes around the town.
Beitbridge town clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola could not be reached for comment yesterday. — @DubeMatutu — @tupeyo
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