|
Back to Index
We
will beseige ZINWA: Belvedere residents
Combined Harare
Residents Association (CHRA)
November 15, 2007
Residents in Belvedere
have threatened to demonstrate against the Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (ZINWA). The threats come following water cuts that are
making life unbearable. Residents in Belvedere have gone for the
last one week without tape water. A month ago residents in the same
area went for two weeks without water. The water cuts caused cholera
outbreaks and disturbed the normal flow of life. Women with infants
had trouble washing napkins and bathing school going children. There
was no drinking and bathing water.
CHRA Ward five members
wrote a petition to ZINWA which has not had a response. It is against
this background that residents in the area have agreed to mobilize
each other and demonstrate against ZINWA. Belvedere residents also
complain about unattended to sewer bursts which pose health hazards.
Despite the poor services offered by ZINWA residents continue to
receive ballooned bills of between 5 and 25 million dollars. The
Minister of water resources and infrastructure development Engineer
Munacho Mutezo has condemned the bills as highly unrealistic. He
ordered the ZINWA board to investigate allegations that bills are
being illegally inflated by ZINWA staff. It remains to be seen whether
any perpetrators will be brought to book.
Water cuts are
not peculiar to Belvedere as most suburbs in Harare are plagued
by nauseating water cuts. CHRA receives reports of water cuts daily
and encourages residents to challenge the incompetence of ZINWA.
CHRA continues to advocate for the reversal of the administration
of sewer and water services to local authorities. These local authorities
must be run by democratically elected leaders who are not driven
by the whims and caprices of party political patronage. Local authorities
and the Minister of Local government Dr Chombo must employ Town
Clerks and other critical staff on the basis of merit and qualification
and not on the basis of political party affiliation.
Visit the CHRA
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
