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Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Reporter
RURAL teachers in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces have resorted to buying water from villagers as the precious resource has become scarce due to drought.
In both provinces, teachers are being charged mostly in South African rands with a 20 litre container going for about 10 rands.
Matabeleland North Provincial Education Director Mr Jabulani Mpofu, in a telephone interview yesterday, said the water situation was dire in most rural schools in his province.
He said teachers are now being forced to fork out money to buy water.
“In many places the water table has gone down and some boreholes have since dried up, while some places do not have boreholes at all, with some boreholes having broken down in some areas. It is a humanitarian crisis and teachers, just like the communities they serve, have not been spared,” said Mr Mpofu.
“We are working with stakeholders to drill boreholes in some of the most affected areas. So far, we have worked with the DDF and four boreholes have since been drilled in Lupane district to serve schools and nearby communities. We are also working with our partners in the public and private sector and NGOs and three boreholes have so far been drilled in Tsholotsho district.”
He said in some areas people demand payment for hiring a scotch cart.
Mr Mpofu said the matter requires urgent attention.
Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director Mr Lifias Masukume could not immediately comment saying he was out of office.
However, in a telephone interview, Chief Mathema of Gwanda said the water problem is worsening.
“My wife is a teacher at Gwagwe School and they struggle to get water there. One villager offered to fetch for them and they pay for services rendered. It is not easy because people do not have money. People are generally struggling especially in Gwanda South. It is happening in a number of schools,” said the chief.
“The problem is that nothing is done until it is too late. It is known that Mat South has such water problems almost every year but people do not act on it. Since the 1980s, we cannot be crying about the same problem. Something should be done for this region.”
Teachers from Beitbridge, Gwanda South and Insiza South districts who spoke to the Chronicle said life had become unbearable as they were forced to walk for more than 25 kilometres in search of water.
Teachers said they were being charged up to 100 rands for 50 litres of water in rural Gwanda and Beitbridge.
“The situation is very difficult for us here. The nearby borehole dried up in early September and since then we have had to contribute 50 rands each so that we hire a scorch cart to bring us each a 200 litre drum of water from about 30 kilometres from the school. We then make sure that that water lasts over a week because the money to get more water will not be there. My husband is in South Africa but doing odd jobs after he left his job in Bulawayo, so whenever he sends money, I now set aside a budget for buying water,” said a teacher at Sizeze School.
Some teachers said they were forced to share their water with other teachers who did not have the money to buy it as the situation had become dire.-@andile_tshuma
Online Reporter