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Chombo to appear in Court
The Standard (Zimbabwe)
October 17, 2004

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=778

IGNATIUS Chombo, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, has been summoned to appear before a Mutare magistrate this week to testify in the trial of Mutare City Council which is in the dock for contaminating Sakubva River.

The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) is the complainant.

The City Council, represented by Issue Matting, on Wednesday appeared before Musakwa facing charges of polluting Sakubva River as well as disposing raw sewage without a permit from ZINWA.

The council needs to pay about $173 million in order to get a permit from water authority to dispose of its refuse. The amount includes accruing levies.

Public Prosecutor, Abiot Kachirika told The Standard that either Chombo or his permanent secretary, David Munyoro, is scheduled to appear before Mutare magistrate, Billiard Musakwa, on Tuesday to testify that he directed Mutare City Council to suspend rates increase.

Mutare City Council had increased its rates to ensure sustainability under the current hyper-inflationary environment.

"The City Council requested that the Minister be there to testify because it (council) is saying due to the suspension of rates, it has no money to upgrade its sewerage works or to buy a permit from Zinwa," said Kachirika.

Chombo suspended the 2004 Mutare City Council budget on May 28 this year saying the residents would not be able to pay the new rates under the current economic hardships. He also suspended many other council budgets including those of Harare and Bulawayo.

Mutare executive mayor Misheck Kagurabadza on Thursday also confirmed that Chombo had been summoned to testify that he directed the suspension of the 2004 Mutare council budget.

He said because Chombo's suspension directive was verbal, the Minister has to appear in person to testify. The suspension of the rates increases had crippled operations of the council, he said.

"They want to prove that he suspended the 2004 budget because that actually incapacitated the operations of the council," Kagurabadza said.

It is the State case that council employees at Gimboki Sewerage Works unlawfully discharged raw effluent into Sakubva River without a permit on May 26 this year. It said the raw effluent from the sewerage works polluted water downstream.

Kachiridza said investigations by a water quality scientist with ZINWA, Webster Munhundiripo, revealed that the water was contaminated and that the council was carrying out operations without a permit from the authority.

Meanwhile, official sources at ZINWA told The Standard that several municipalities countrywide face legal action from the authority for polluting water sources.

The official cited Chitungwiza City Council, Chinhoyi, Kwekwe and Bulawayo as some of the councils facing legal actions from ZINWA.

"For example, Chitungwiza is disposing its raw sewage into water sources. You can actually go there and take nice photographs," said the official.

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