Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A STORM is brewing in Hwange town where residents are bitter about high estimated water bills from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).
Zinwa is responsible for water provision in Hwange’s Empumalanga and Chibondo areas while other parts of the coal mining town are supplied by Hwange Colliery and the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).
ZPC reportedly draws raw water from Zambezi River to a purification plant in Cinderella while Zinwa purifies and distributes it.
A petition seen by The Chronicle, written by residents expressing their anger, showed that some residents have for the past few months been receiving water bills as high as $500 per month.
Residents said a majority of them, most of whom are pensioners with no sustainable source of income, were failing to pay the bills.
Residents now want the Hwange Local Board to take over water management from Zinwa and raised the issue at budget consultation meetings held recently.
“The challenge is that water is very expensive. Meter readers from Zinwa sometimes don’t come to take meter readings and when they come, they put everything as current charge or charge interest as if people would not have paid. At the end of the day everything is estimated. Residents have on several occasions threatened to demonstrate against Zinwa because they cannot pay the exorbitant bills which range between $300 and $500 per month for a house,” said a resident.
Residents have approached Hwange Central Member of Parliament Mr Daniel Molokele requesting him to assist them to resolve the issue.
A meeting with Zinwa officials had been set for Thursday last week but was postponed to next year.
Hwange Local Board councillor for Ward 6 Andrew Mumpande said bills that residents are receiving are ridiculous.
“Zinwa bills are ridiculous and extreme. I guess they raised tariffs because you can’t have a single household paying $500 per month for water only. An ordinary resident cannot afford this and residents now want water management to be given to the local authority and they raised the issue at budget consultation meetings,” said Cllr Mumpande.
His Ward 5 counterpart Tendai Sibanda said they visited Zinwa offices at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo over the issue.
“They were supposed to come for a meeting on 19 December but it was deferred to next year. People don’t even know how much water costs because they are just charged with some receiving bills as high as $1 500 per month. This is the reason why residents want the Local Board to take over the water supply responsibility,” she said.
Greater Hwange Residents Trust chair Mr Fidelis Chima said they are seized with the matter but urged residents to desist from demonstrating as the issue is being attended to. Zinwa spokesperson Mrs Marjorie Munyonga could not be reached for comment yesterday. — @ncubeleon
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