Hwange Local Board warns defaulting residents

HWANGE Local Board (HLB) management has given defaulting residents at the new Empumalanga Phase 4 an ultimatum to clear their water bills to avoid being disconnected.

HLB is preparing to take over from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) the management and distribution of water to residents. Presently, Zinwa is supplying bulk water to the coal mining town.

As a pilot project, HLB is distributing water to Empumalanga Phase 4 residents with plans afoot to supply all new settlements in its area of jurisdiction.

Empumalanga Phase 4 last year went for more than five months without water after Zinwa disconnected supplies as the local authority owed more than $30 million in unpaid bills.

Acting Town Secretary Mr Paulos Mabhureni urged residents to settle their bills to avoid water cuts.

Ratepayers owed the local authority millions in unpaid water bills.

“We are not satisfied with how residents of Phase 4 are paying their water bills. We aren’t receiving much from them, a situation which is likely to see us struggling to pay Zinwa,” he said in a statement published in the local authority’s monthly magazine.

“We don’t want to go back to that situation as we believe water is everyone’s right and as such it should be available and accessible every time.”

Mr Mabhureni said the HLB is supplying water to Empumalanga Phase 4 as a pilot project in preparation for takeover of distribution from Zinwa.

HLB is one of the local authorities that want to take over and manage their water resource.

Victoria Falls has since taken over bulk and distribution from Zinwa after Government greenlighted the move.

This was after a delegation from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works conducted an assessment of the city’s preparedness and capacity and expressed satisfaction.

“We are looking forward to take over from Zinwa the provision of water in our area with Zinwa supplying the bulk resources and us distributing and delivering to households.

“We are implementing this model in all new settlements which are under development,” said Mr Mabhureni.

He said the council can only be able to deliver on services if residents and ratepayers pay up.

Meanwhile, the council recently acquired two fire tenders as it retooled up its fleet that had been grounded following a breakdown of the only fire engine two years ago.

One of the fire engines was donated by Operation Florian of the UK while the other came through the Government -Belarus deal under the Devolution Fund.

HLB chairperson Councillor Morrison Mafa said the local authority is ready to attend to disasters.

HLB provides emergency accident services across Hwange, Binga, and Lupane districts.