Ronald Mpofu in Plumtree
TWO residents of Ingwizi Growth Point in the Mphoengs area have been sentenced to eight months in prison each for illegally reconnecting their water supplies after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) had disconnected them.
Lorencia Sibanda (43) and Bigboy Moyo (43) were convicted on their own pleas of guilty by Plumtree magistrate Mr Benjamin Makono for unlawfully altering or obstructing waterworks infrastructure, in contravention of Section 118(a) and (b) of the Water Act.
The magistrate sentenced each of them to eight months’ imprisonment, with five months suspended on condition that they reimburse Zinwa US$293 on or before December 15, 2026.
They were also each fined US$400.
Prosecuting, Mr Polite Ndlovu told the court that in February this year, at around 1PM, Zinwa officials Nobuhle Ndlovu and Nyashadzashe Shiri visited the accused persons’ homesteads at Ingwizi Growth Point, where they discovered illegal water connections from the main supply.
The officials disconnected the illegal connections and warned the two residents against reconnecting without Zinwa’s approval.
However, the court heard that the pair later removed the water stoppers installed by the authority to prevent water from flowing to their properties.
“On October 20, 2026, at around 11AM, the two Zinwa officials returned to the homesteads and discovered that the water supplies had been illegally reconnected,” said Mr Ndlovu.
A police report was made, leading to investigations and the subsequent arrest of the two residents.
The court heard that the value of the unaccounted-for water was estimated at US$293 for each homestead.
