Youth development trust petitions Parly over Gwanda water crisis

The Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT) has petitioned Parliament to help resolve the water crisis in Gwanda Town where taps have been running dry since January.

It is understood that water problems in the Matabeleland South provincial capital are a result of a bitter war between the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and Gwanda Municipality which started in 2012. The parastatal is seeking to recover a $10 million debt from the local authority which argues that they owe the former just $3 million.

Further, the municipality has been fighting without success to wrestle the control of water from Zinwa. The development has seen Zinwa installing prepaid bulk water meters accompanied by a tight water rationing programme in the town with an estimated population of 60 000. Gwanda Town has 10 schools, a provincial hospital, provincial Government complex, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic College which houses hundreds of students.

CYDT’s programmes and information manager Ms Linda Mpofu said the water situation had become deplorable. She said they decided to petition Parliament after engaging both parties (Zinwa and Gwanda Municipality) without success. Ms Mpofu said they delivered the petition to Parliament on Tuesday following wide consultations with stakeholders.

These include; the Women Development Association in Zimbabwe, the Positive Women Trust, Gwanda Community Economic Justice Development Trust, and the restoration of Human Rights of Zimbabwe.

Read part of the petition; “Cognisant that the Constitution of Zimbabwe mandates Parliament to, inter alia protect the constitution and democratic governance in Zimbabwe; “Aware that section 77 of the constitution provides that every person has the right to (a) safe, clean and portable water, and (b) sufficient food and the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within the limits of the resources available to it, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.

“It is disturbing that Gwanda town’s residents have been effectively deprived of their constitutionally guaranteed right to water, which has affected their right to life, the right to human dignity, freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, environment among others. Zinwa has been reluctant to hand back the water treatment plant to Gwanda Municipality despite them (municipality) having the capacity to operate and maintain the treatment plant as is obtaining in other towns”.

The CYDT said it was worried by Zinwa’s persistent water disconnection exercise to the entire town, whenever they want to push the local authority to pay up their contentious debt. They also accused the municipality of unleashing debt collectors on residents, though they had acknowledged overpricing water in the town.

“Parliament should exercise its constitutional role and investigate the listed issues; the dual administration of water by Gwanda Municipality and Zinwa and the authority dragging its feet on handing back the water treatment plant to the municipality.

“In addition it should investigate the installation of bulky water meters around and indiscriminate water disconnection by Zinwa even on those (residents) whose payments are up-to date,” said the CYDT.

The trust also impressed on Parliament to investigate issues relating to overpricing of water by the municipality and the continued use of debt collectors, even though they (local authority) had acknowledged a pricing error.