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Dzivarasekwa residents live with raw sewerage
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
February 17, 2006

THE City of Harare continues to play with residents’ lives, at a time the spread of cholera and dysentery are most threatening.

Today, the Information Officer toured Dzivarasekwa high density-area to see the situation on the ground in terms of refuse collection, burst sewer pipes, living conditions of victims of Operation Murambatsvina, the status of roads and other municipal-related areas of service delivery.

In Rujeko Street, adjacent to Rujeko Poly-Clinic, raw sewerage flowed from the backyard of house Numbers 165-1, 2 and 3 with reckless abandon. Residents have placed stepping stones on the roads in order to walk past the flowing streams of sewerage.

The roads are dilapidated and nearly impassable.

According to residents, the clinic has turned away hundreds of people infected with cholera and dysentery or any other diseases because they failed to raise the required amounts of money for medical attention. We urge the Ministry of health and Child welfare to act before the situation in Dzivarasekwa explodes beyond everyone’s imaginations.

A four-year-old child at this household, identified as Pamela Dombe, was lying almost unconscious on the broken down sofas in the sitting room due to a three-day bout of diarrhoea while the elder sister Mary, 16 was helplessly looked on. She is also infected with dysentery.

Joseph Dombe, 64, the father of the kids, said the situation was getting out of control that he had given up hope. The children have been taken to Rujeko Clinic but the nurses there allegedly refused to treat them, demanding $200 000 upfront before they could be treated.

Numerous reports made to the municipal’s District Office at Dzivarasekwa have proved futile. The officials have allegedly demanded that each family pay $1, 2 million for the City of Harare to attend to the burst sewer pipes in the suburb. They claim the money is for transport and for fuel.

Other streets with uncontrollable gushes of raw sewerage are Pasipanodya, Boterekwa, and Kwayedza. I witnessed people emerging from shacks they are taking for shelter after they lost their accommodation during Operation Murambatsvina.

Vendors sold their vegetables anyway, despite the stinking environment.

The City of Harare has forgotten its responsibilities and residents have gotten to the edges of their patience. Soon, the City would be ungovernable as residents act against this unwarranted exposure to death.

CHRA holds the illegal commission running the City of Harare responsible for all the deaths and infections due to dysentery and cholera infections.

Would it be wrong if residents respond by dumping their refuse at municipal district offices or pour the raw sewerage at the doorsteps of Town House or any other district offices? These questions emerged during the tour of these areas.

Residents want the City of Harare to be accountable and respond to critical service issues like burst sewer pipes and refuse collection. They are paying their rates every month yet there is no service coming to them.

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