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Public anger mounts over Zinwa 'incompetence'
Kholwani Nyathi, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
September 02, 2007

ANGER is growing in Harare's eastern suburbs over the inability of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to supply water to the area, where most homes and business operations have been without the commodity since early July. There are fears that the water shortage could last for months, even years.

Private meetings are being held to gather interest in drawing up a petition for responsibility for Harare's water supplies to be removed from Zinwa and restored to the City of Harare. Legal opinions are also being sought on action to revoke the mandatory minimum charge on Zinwa bills and to compensate residents and businesses for having to draw water from other sources such as boreholes, wells and supply by tanker trucks.

Health concerns are key to the growing discontent, but consumers are also feeling greatly inconvenienced by what has become a chronic inability by the water authority to fulfil its mandate.

Contacted for comment last week, a clearly overwhelmed Zinwa official said he was at a loss, adding the list of requirements for the authority to function properly were just "too much".

They expected, he said, the plight of residents in Harare's eastern suburbs would have been addressed by this weekend.

"Added to the insult of having no water is the fact that we are charged bills for no service," said a Chisipite resident, "and Zinwa has been disconnecting people who do not pay bills, which includes a standard minimum charge that must be paid irrespective of whether or not the service is provided."

Zinwa call centre staff provide a range of "explanations" for callers, advising that the fault lies, alternatively, with electricity supplies, broken pumps, problems at Morton Jaffray water works, fuel shortages, lack of capacity within pipes and other problems.

"We are often told that water supplies will be resumed 'tomorrow'," said the Chisipite resident, "but tomorrow never comes."

Although water supplies to the eastern suburbs have been erratic for the past few years, the problems have intensified since Zinwa took over the responsibility from the City of Harare and the view among many residents of the area is that Zinwa considers itself beyond reproach.

"One call centre staff member advised me privately that Zinwa management does not consider the welfare of its customers of importance," explained a resident from Greendale.

"Management has said to call centre team members that they should give 'any old answer' because customers' views are to be disregarded.

"This person also told me that it was unlikely that we would have water again in the foreseeable future and that we had better gear ourselves for a prolonged dry spell that could last years."

The call centre staff member's views are corroborated by a lack of communication to customers by Zinwa, either directly or through the media.

"Occasional statements are made apologising for a day's shortage here and a night's shortage there," said the resident from Chisipite, "but there has to date been no statement on the general position on the eastern suburbs and why there has been no water pumped into the area for almost two months, apart from a few hours one night in early August.

"The current position regarding water is appalling and must be addressed immediately. The government, especially the minister responsible for water, must take responsibility for this situation and do something," the Greendale resident said. "Even in Bulawayo, where there is a genuine crisis, there is an effective system that works well and keeps customers supplied on a downscaled basis. How absolutely disgusting that this does not happen in Harare!"
He compared this to the position regarding electricity supplies, which were handled in a professional manner by the authorities responsible for this commodity.

"Electricity is rationed on a planned basis and even when there are faults these are attended to, and the staff at call centres is able to advise status of supply and what is being done to resolve it," he said. "Zinwa is a disaster and I can assure government that Zinwa will cost them votes in the next election."

He castigated the Harare City Commission for a "complete lack of interest in the situation" and also said the state media had been instructed not to allow coverage for the water problem "beyond saying what wonderful things were being done by Zinwa to keep water flowing, even though it is not".

The Greendale resident said the call centre staff member who had confided in him had said the water shortage would spread and that the chronic absence of water would probably affect the northern suburbs of Borrowdale, Greystone Park, Mount Pleasant and Vainona within a few weeks.

"The silence surrounding this issue is even more appalling than the water crisis itself, he said. "Something must be done and the media must draw attention to yet another failing on the part of central and local government and yet another result of the mismanagement of the country."

The Combined Harare Residents' Association (Chra) said the water problems were a result of acute incompetence on the part of Zinwa.

"The water crisis has worsened since Zinwa came onto the scene. The fact that nothing has improved since introduction of Zinwa shows that the solution is not to be found in Zinwa," said Chra. "Water management should be returned to the city authorities and by city authorities we mean a properly elected council that is answerable to residents and not the minister."

A Harare lawyer said the take-over of the functions and assets of local authorities by Zinwa was beyond the legal power of the Zinwa Act.

"If it were felt that urban local authorities were failing to manage water and sewer effectively," he said, "and that Zinwa had the capacity . . . rather than Zinwa taking over entirely local authorities could have been encouraged to enter into co-operative agreements in terms of Section 223 (1) of the Urban Councils Act."

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