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Local government media tracker – 19 September 2013
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
September 18, 2013

Not all borehole water is safe
The Standard

Residents must ensure that new water sources are tested and analysed first before the water is used for domestic purposes to avoid contracting diseases, a senior government official has said. The warning comes after it emerged that most Harare residents, including those in high-density suburbs, have resorted to drinking borehole water, some of which has been found to be contaminated. Harare residents have turned to borehole water because they no longer trust the smelly and at times sewage-contaminated water supplied by the local authority. Government analyst laboratory director in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Livingstone Musiyambiri said it was prudent that people ensured that new water sources were analysed first before domestic use. “Evidence has always proved that underground water can be contaminated at any stage, especially in the era of industrialisation where excess chemicals find their way into the water. The failure by the Harare City Council (HCC) to supply clean running water has forced residents to drill boreholes, posing a serious threat to people’s health, as well as affecting the city’s water table. Earlier this year HCC director of health services, Prosper Chonzi said 33% of the 254 council boreholes in the city were contaminated with faecal matter. Faecal matter transmits diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

Speed up rural electrification, ZESA told
The Herald

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi who is also the legislator for Beitbridge East constituency has called on the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority to speed up the rural electrification programme. In an interview the Minister said the unavailability of power had impacted negatively on development in most parts of the district. Minister Mohadi also noted the delay by the Rural Electrification Agency in extending power supply to Tshikwalakwala area, where people rely on solar panels and generators for power. The development has stalled a lot of mining programmes in the eastern part of Beitbridge where there are large deposits of coal. Investors have mining rights but they cannot start operating without electricity.

EASIPARK deal faces fresh hurdle
The Herald

The joint venture parking business between South African company Easihold Proprietary Limited and Harare City Council has faced a fresh hurdle with the foreign company taking the council for arbitration over the manner cash is being handled. Easihold is accusing council of opening a secret account where all the money is being held without transparency. The company also argues that it is being denied access to that account and that it was also being sidelined in the operations of the Easipark business despite an order directing them to reinstate the joint venture. Easihold now seeks an award ordering council to disclose the secret account details and to revert to the use of the agreed joint venture account with Barclays Bank. Retired judge Justice Moses Chinhengo is expected to hear the matter while sitting as a commercial arbitrator. Harare City Council and Easihold once clashed end of last year when council purportedly terminated the agreement.

Council to install pre-paid water meters in Harare
The Sunday Mail

The Harare City Council will embark on a pilot project to install pre-paid water meters in the Avenues area as it seeks to give consumers the power to manage their own consumption. Most consumers are set to welcome this initiative as they have already embraced the pre-paid electricity meters. Council has already secured funds for the pilot project, from the US$144 million which it secured from the China Export and Import Bank which was meant for rehabilitation of the water works and sewage treatment plants. Council intends to install 1 000 pre-paid water meters in the Avenues which will expand to other areas, depending on the success of the pilot project. The initiative is meant to improve water bills payment to enable council to provide service delivery as most residents have developed the culture of not settling their bills. Harare Water director Eng Christopher Zvobgo confirmed the development, saying it was an initiative by council aimed at encouraging residents to pay their bills. We want to introduce pre-paid water meters but we are set to roll out a pilot project soon. If we install pre-paid meters, then consumers can manage their own consumption, doing away with the billing system.

Harare Town Clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi confirmed the pilot project, saying the project will be in place before the year ends. Though he acknowledged that they will use part of the US$144 million facility from China, he refused to say how much they were going to use. The project is expected to be extended to other parts of the city, and the city fathers will inform residents more about the project

Council warns public
The Herald

Manyame Rural District Council has warned members of the public against allocating themselves or being allocated communal land without permission from the local authority. Villagers in Seke are reportedly sub-dividing their homesteads into several residential stands measuring about 1 600 square metres and selling them to home-seekers at prices ranging between US$1 500 to US$2 500.This has seen aspiring home-owners from Harare pay as much as US$14 000 for small stands. However, the rural district council said it would embark on a joint operation with the police to patrol all villages on a daily basis and anyone found making any developments on any piece of land without a valid permit would be arrested. It is illegal for anyone (village head, committee member or ordinary villager to allocate communal land without involving the full village assembly. Communal land is not for sale and anyone who pays or receives money or any other form of payment in return for communal land allocation commits a punishable offence Any occupation/use and development of communal land should be done after obtaining a communal land permit issued by council and anyone who occupies or makes some developments without this permit is committing an offence,” said the council in a statement

Health horror
The Daily News

Harare Central Hospital, also known as KuGomo because of its location in a rugged terrain of Southerton suburb in Harare, is one of the biggest referral hospitals in the country but is dismally failing to deliver on its mandate. The hospital, which houses the School of Nursing, also boasts having the largest maternity referral ward in the country but is plagued by severe shortages of equipment and supplies. The maternity wing has in excess of 180 beds and caters for about 1 200 deliveries per month and 505 pre-natal visits per month. But the hospital is failing to cope with the number of expecting mothers who present themselves at the institution. Last week, 15 mothers who had just given birth were crowded in one small room on the floor, exposing their newborn babies to risks of contracting communicable diseases.

A senior citizen who was admitted at the ward recently said the behaviour of the nursing staff left a lot to be desired. The nurses there operate like Satanists,” fumed the patient, who declined to be named fearing victimisation. “They are not interested in seeing patients regain their health.

Another caller who preferred anonymity said when he took his sick sister to Harare hospital, the doctor who examined her was very upset when he realised she was on medical aid. He asked us to go to Avenues Clinic but my sister insisted that she wanted to be treated there because they had good doctors, the attending physician said he would be able to attend to her at the private hospital,” he said.

Chinese water engineers to help upgrade Harare water delivery system
The Herald

Chinese water engineers who were seconded to upgrade the city’s water delivery system under the US$144 million China Import and Export Bank loan have started arriving in the country and are already holding meetings with council officials. In an interview Harare Water director Engineer Christopher Zvobgo said they have started work with seven engineers who are already in the country while a bigger delegation is expected to arrive soon. The city partnered with CMEC of China in the implementation of the project after sourcing funding from that country. This came after residents complained that they were not getting enough water and also after realising that the water and sewer distribution network was old and needed replacement. Occasional major pipe bursts were forcing residents to fetch water from unprotected sources, posing health hazards.

The refurbishment of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant which is expected to start this week would mark the end of water problems facing Harare. The Chinese Export Import Bank and has already acquired material to be used for the refurbishment of the 60-year-old plant. Harare Water currently produces 450 mega-litres a day from Prince Edward and Morton Jaffray waterworks, 100 of which are lost through leaks and dilapidated infrastructure against a normal requirement of 900 mega litres a day. The daily requirement in September has risen to between 1 200 to 1 500 mega litres due to the prevailing hot temperatures. At full implementation Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward water treatment plants are expected to produce up to 705 mega litres a day.

ZESA in course
The Herald

Zesa Holdings has so far installed over 293 000 prepaid meters in both domestic and commercial premises countrywide, a top company official has said. Zesa Holdings group chief executive officer Engineer Josh Chifamba said the project was on course and he was optimistic the organisation would realise its target of covering 600 000 customers by December this year.

The Company had secured about US$45 million from banks and I’m confident that the project will be successful,” he said. We have installed 293 000 prepaid meters so far covering almost half of our customer base and by December all residential customers will be under pre paid billing.” he said. Eng Chifamba said the prepaid meter project would cost around US$72million. The installation of pre-paid meters started last year and Zesa Holdings was upbeat that the new billing system would improve revenue collection and encourage consumers to save electricity.

Council embarks on heavy vehicle blitz
The Herald

Harare City Council has embarked on a blitz targeting heavy vehicles entering and parking in residential areas. The council is reportedly making thousands of dollars from the operation which is also targeting the Central Business District where heavy vehicles are barred between 0800 and 1700 hours daily. The city’s chief traffic officer Mr Campion Chishava said the fine for parking and driving heavy vehicles in residential areas is US$218 and in the event that the truck is towed away an additional sum of US$109 would be charged. “On a weekly basis the traffic section impounds up to 32 vehicles in the residential suburbs. It also impounds close to 900 other vehicles citywide.

President pledges to improve life in Harare and Bulawayo
The NewsDay

President Robert Mugabe said his government will put in place mechanisms to upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure in urban areas especially Harare and Bulawayo to improve service delivery. Mugabe said Harare and Bulawayo residents have endured perennial water shortages due to lack of capacity of local authorities and the poor state of sanitation and water-related infrastructure. I am pleased to note that disbursement of a $144 million loan facility from China for the upgrading of Harare’s water and sanitation infrastructure will commence soon,” Mugabe said.

The City will collaborate with an identified partner; implement a revamped water service delivery plan. The plan will see the construction of three new dams and additional water treatment plants over a period of several years. This is expected to significantly improve water supply in the city. It is my hope that such turnaround initiatives will be replicated in Bulawayo and other cities.” Mugabe said he was pleased the electricity supply situation had improved over the past years owing to expansion at Hwange and Kariba power stations, but added that his government would work extra hard to improve the power generation capacity of the country.

Mugabe also said measures were afoot to introduce mandatory blending of petrol to the levels of E20. Such a move will ensure fuel efficiency and, more importantly, the project will trigger incremental job creation, thereby guaranteeing decent livelihoods for local communities and other citizens. The Zanu-PF leader also pledged to speed up the dualisation of the country’s highways, adding that the Zimbabwe National Road Authority would eventually take over collection of toll fees from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

Local authorities must prioritise service delivery
The Herald

The country's 92 rural and urban local authorities have successfully elected council chairpersons, mayors and their deputies, setting the stage for tackling the multi-faceted challenges facing residents countrywide. The 8th Parliament officially opens where President Mugabe sets the legislative agenda for the First Session; these national events are not mutually exclusive but very complementary. All levels of Government are in place, what remains a return on the investment the voter is made by voting his /her representative into office.

Now that the rainy season is almost two months away, it is our hope that the new councils should ensure they dedicate resealing of potholes in major city roads. We do not expect individuals to scuttle development for petty political reasons and those found on the wrong side of the law should be dealt with. Some urban roads in both high and low density suburbs have virtually become dust roads, rubbish bins have not been collected, resulting in the majority of the residents using illegal points to dump garbage, which is a threat to public health.

It is our hope that the new councils will prioritise the provision of clean water in homes, ensure that sewage gushing in some towns such Chitungwiza and Harare is a thing of the past and that water borne diseases should never affect urbanites again. This time most councils will be run by Zanu-PF officials and it is our hope that Minister Chombo will deal with some corrupt individuals and councils that seek to subvert the residents' will by engaging in unethical behaviour such as circumventing tender procedures by receiving bribes to award deals to friends among other ills.

Government must prioritise food, water
The Standard

Zimbabweans too have adopted a similar stance, where they scrutinise their government very closely in that short period. Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, the first 50 days have not given any hint as to what the new government’s priorities are. It is important to note that the country went 40 days without a government, meaning the new ministers really have to hit the ground running.

Zanu-PF won the elections on the back of the pro-people policies it spelt out in its election manifesto; it must therefore follow through the promises it made. There are two areas that need urgent attention and by which it will be judged on the hundredth day. About 2, 2 million people are facing a food crisis and there is a water problem in urban areas, particularly in Harare and Bulawayo. The food crisis has hit hard four provinces namely, Masvingo, Matabeleland North and South, and parts of the Midlands. The drier parts of Manicaland have not been spared either.

Government should move fast to import the staple maize and ensure it is equitably distributed in these areas. Since Zanu-PF swept these provinces in the elections, it is hoped the distribution would be done in a non-partisan manner. Government should also address the question of a permanent solution to the perennial food shortages in these areas. The same should be said for cities and towns that have been hit by the shortage of water. In the capital, Harare, the water shortage is mainly caused by old infrastructure and the lack of funding for water-treatment chemicals. A huge amount of treated water is lost through leakages. Harare should address this problem quickly because, by simply plugging all the leakages, the supply of water improves significantly.

Business slackens on water arrears
The Herald

Businesses in Harare have slackened in settling water and rates arrears over the past two months as they anticipated scrapping of their accrued debts. Harare City Council is owed US$150 million by these entities. In an interview, Harare City Council Business Development director Mr Cosmas Zvikaramba said the situation was disheartening. "In August, there was a 44 percent decrease in the inflows from business and industry, which can be attributed to the scrapping of bills. As far as business and industries are concerned they seemed to believe that the scrapping of bills would also apply to them. I want it to be clear that the scrapping is only applicable to households," he said. Mr Zvikaramba said industry and commerce owe council US$150 million and if they take up the discount offer, they would save US$45 million by year end.

Council is offering businesses and industry a 30 percent discount if they settle their bills till the end of the year and the same discount to those without debts as an incentive. Harare City Council recently scrapped off debts amounting to US$330 million in line with a Government directive to scrap debts owed by residents from February 2009 to June 30, 2013. Mr Zvikaramba urged business to make use of payment plans. "We urge business and industry to continue to make payment arrangements and take advantage of the window of opportunity of the 30 percent discount which will continue until December 31."

Government orders end to illegal stands allocation
The Herald

Government has ordered residents who are illegally parcelling out unserviced council land in Harare to stop doing so, warning they face arrest for engaging in such "illegal and corrupt" activities. The warning comes after some unscrupulous people were accused of forming pseudo-co-operatives to parcel out unoccupied council land in the past few days.

Residents who lead the exercises are reportedly demanding a non-refundable registration fee of between US$10 and US$20, which Government described as corruption. The situation is rampant in high density areas such as Glen View, Glen Norah, Budiriro, Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza and the culprits are targeting open spaces between residential areas. Secretary for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Mr Killian Mpingo said anyone grabbing land without following laid down procedures required for one to own a stand should stop or face the consequences. He said individuals were not supposed to take a lead in allocating land that belongs to council adding that his ministry had dispatched officials to work with local authorities to put an end to the illegal activities.

No individual should take a responsibility that is not his or hers." Mr Mpingo said home-seekers wishing to own a stand should join legal housing co-operatives or buy directly from local authorities. We have the necessary legislative instruments that guide us in terms of land allocation or distribution. The Ministry had The Regional Town and Country Planning Act, the Urban Councils Act and Rural District Councils Act. All these instruments define planning in local authorities. All those residents who had been allocated in those illegal stands should stop developments on that land because anyone who will be caught will be prosecuted.

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