The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Tuesday, October 20, 1992 — Trustees of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project have expressed disappointment and worry at the Government’s unexplained delay in approving a $12 million grant given to the MZWP by the Canadian International Development Agency last May.

The money, which is already in the MZWP’s coffers, was supposed to be used for technical study of the proposed 470km Zambezi water pipeline project expected to cost more than $1 billion when completed.

A spokesman for the MZWP trustees, Mr Mike Constandinos, said in an interview that the delay by the Government to approve the grant is a clear indication of how lightly the Government took the critical water shortage that Matabeleland has.

“We got this money in May and all we have been waiting for during the last five months is Government’s approval to use it, but to our amazement the Government is just quiet. It is really a deafening silence”, said Mr Constandinos.

The Government has constantly been accused of not taking seriously efforts by Bulawayo residents to bring water to the virtually dry city and the Matabeleland region as a whole.

Politicians, businesspeople and residents of Bulawayo formed the MZWP to raise funds for the Zambezi River to Bulawayo water pipeline.

The MZWP’s appeals are said to have aroused interest from foreign donors who have pledged to fund the construction of the pipeline but cannot do so unless the Government approves.