Chronicle Editor
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is making moves that will see suburbs located at the boundary between the city and Umguza Rural District Council finally connected to the city’s water and sewer connection points.
A number of suburbs inclusive of Mbundane and Emthunzini have been operating without key social amenities with BCC previously refusing to connect them to their water and sewer reticulation system, arguing that the suburbs did not fall under its jurisdiction despite being located just at the boundary between the city and Umguza.
There was hope in 2017 when the two local authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where BCC agreed that they will service Mbundane and Emthunzini suburbs with water and sewer reticulation.
However, since then, no efforts were made to ensure the connection of the suburbs.
That saw in 2021 the Government instructing the two local authorities to constitute a joint committee that will help resolve the decade-long dispute that has seen some outlying suburbs going without key amenities like water and sewer reticulation.
However, according to the latest council report, the matter has once again been brought up for deliberation with one of the developers under the Presidential Housing Scheme- Maharba- committing to cater for over US$500 000 that is needed to upgrade infrastructure to expedite the connection to two of the outlying suburbs- Emthunzini and Inhliziyo.
“Through our several contacts and meetings held, requesting that those under the Presidential Scheme be provided with water and sewer services by yourselves, capacity issues were apparent.
“To expedite the project and to cover issues of capacity that were raised at the developer’s costs, the following upgrades and extensions are proposed; to upgrade the Criterion Water Treatment Plant bypass, cost estimated at US$500 000, to extend the 250 millimetre Pumula pipeline and water to be provided through a bulk meter,” reads a letter to the Bulawayo Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube from the developer.
The local authority had noted that the two suburbs can only be connected if it was with a condition of infrastructure upgrade and development upstream of the water network in order to accommodate the development and not affect the existing water reticulation.
BCC further noted that connecting sewer reticulation onto the existing outfall of diameter 900mm that cuts through the development was not a challenge for the stands up stream of the outfall.
For the stands across Phekiwe River the local authority said the sewer design needs to be verified if it was possible to connect the stands using gravity.
“There after it was resolved to recommend that the developer be advised to partner with other developers like Radar Properties (King City) who have the same water investment proposal for the Criterion bypass.
“And that these developments once connected will be put under the existing water shedding schedule, all water and sewer infrastructure must be inspected jointly by Umguza and the City of Bulawayo to avoid system compromises and that the bulk meter accounts will be opened with the City of Bulawayo,” reads the report.
According to the Presidential Proclamation 15E of 2004 and the subsequent Statutory Instruments that created the metropolitan provinces of Bulawayo and Harare, metropolitan boundaries were declared as covering a radius of up to 40 kilometres, most of these areas are currently under the jurisdiction of Umguza RDC.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter