Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Gwanda Correspondent
Construction of the five megalitre Spitzkop Reservoir on top of Spitzkop Mountain in Gwanda Town is set to be completed by the end of next month, a council official has revealed. The project has for over a decade failed to meet completion deadlines due to lack of funds.
The reservoir, which has a capacity of five million litres is seen as the panacea to perennial water shortages which have dogged the town for years. The project started over a decade ago and stalled in 2010 because of financial constraints.
Residents had no kind words for the municipality which for years has put deadlines which they failed to meet while blaming financial constraints. In an interview, Gwanda Mayor Councillor Njabulo Siziba said the local authority expected water to start running from taps in Spitzkop suburb by the end of March.
He said Spitzkop Reservoir would solve the town’s water problems. “We have managed to clear the air in facilitating progress at the tank and the contractor is on the ground with pillars for certain pipes being mounted as of last Friday.
“In that light, we have set end of next month as time when the tank will be fully operational and that’s what we stand on as the council,” said Cllr Siziba. Gwanda Residents Association Secretary for youths Mr Wellington Nare said residents were tired of hearing council promises which it misses.
“We have been engaging the council and they have said the tank is now in the final stages of completion and it just needed resealing. “The challenge with such promises is that they are not new, a lot of deadlines have been set and not met.
As Gwanda Residents Association we implore the council to complete the Spitzkop five megalitre tank as it will be a step forward in meeting Social Development Goals,” said Mr Nare.
“Most Spitzkop residents are using borehole water and the completion will bring joy to the families which are settled there.” A Spitzkop resident, Ms Providence Tlou, said: “As women we are suffering because we are fetching water from boreholes, added to our household duties. “It’s just the same as being in a rural area, but we pay rates to the municipality.”-@mthabisi_mthire
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