Chiredzi council issues ultimatum to defaulters Chilonga irrigation scheme runs dry
CHIREDZI Town Council has issued an ultimatum to residents and ratepayers who are owing it to visit its offices by Friday and agree on payment plans or face legal action.
Council is also under pressure from its employees who are demanding at least four months’ salary payout after clocking eight months without being paid.
Council secretary Mr Charles Muchatukwa yesterday said they had written final warnings to the residents pending legal action if they did not utilise the window period.
“Council is continuously engaging residents towards the opening of payment plan agreements and files that will help council recover more than $10 million owed by our residents and ratepayers,” he said.
“We understand that some residents have queries regarding their bills and we have continued to urge them to come forward and discuss with us towards fruitful agreements.”
Mr Muchatukwa said council had obligations, including the ABOUT 500 families in Chiredzi South are facing food security challenges following the collapse of the 159 hectares Chilonga Irrigation Scheme after the water source changed its course.
A visit to the irrigation scheme recently, home to 500 small-scale farmers working on 0,1 hectare plots each, revealed a gloomy picture.
There is no longer activity at the scheme which used to be the breadbasket of Chiredzi town and parts of Mwenezi District through horticultural produce.
Chiredzi South legislator Retired Brigadier-General Callisto Gwanetsa said the situation was
workers who were threatening to go on strike if their demands were not met.
“We need the residents, business community and Government departments to join hands with us as we seek to solve the crisis,” he said. unbearable.
He urged Government to come to the villagers’ rescue as
“December 15, 2017 is our final date to undertake negotiations with residents.
“We anticipate that everyone would have set a payment plan with our office since we extended the programme from December 1 to December 15. the scheme was the lifeblood for many people in his constituency.
“We appeal to Government and well-wishers to help us change the river course back to its original route.
“The change of the river course, Runde River, was caused by the floods which hit the district 10 years go,” he said.
Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said the scheme is one of the important sources of food for the drought prone district.
“This is our biggest irrigation scheme in Chiredzi District. All horticultural produce for Chiredzi town was from this scheme.
“This irrigation is strategic and has proved to be the saviour for many villagers since its birth in
“We hope that everyone got the message since we had to undertake a door-to-door delivering of the message.
“Our next step would be engaging the courts if dialogue fails to yield anticipated results.”
Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers’ 1964. About 500 families are gainfully dependent on Chilonga Irrigation Scheme that if the challenge of water is addressed we will all be happy.”
Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said the submersible pump used to draw water from the Runde River was no longer able to pump water.
“For the past 10 years the irrigation has been lying idle and it is hard to start planting basing on rainfed agriculture because we are in Natural Regions 4 and 5,” he said.
Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said heavy siltation of the Runde River means there is need for heavy machinery to turn the river back on its course.
Association chairman Mr Jonathan Muusha said council should switch to prepaid water meters.
He said residents in some wards were not paying for water because they had not received it in a decade.