Gwanda water crisis update

Following the continuous erratic provision of water to the residents and numerous outcries from within the residents, the Gwanda Residents Association inevitably intensified its efforts to try and get a solution to the problem.

In this pursuit several engagements have been undertaken as follows:

1) The Residents Association attended a residents and stakeholders meeting convened by the Municipality Of Gwanda where the council sort to narrate the causes of the continuous water problems in the town.

Council narrated that the water problems were as a result of a continued impasse between council and ZINWA over a debt council owes to ZINWA which has since seen ZINWA install bulk prepaid water meters at the reservoirs from where water is distributed to the residents through council.

As a result of the prepayment requirements, council is not always having enough cash in hand to purchase sufficient water in bulk to cater for the town's demand. This has therefore resulted in the water shortages we are currently faced with.

2) Following that, the Association wrote to both Council and ZINWA requesting for a tripartite meeting involving Council, ZINWA and the Residents and Stakeholders Representatives where discussions towards striking an amicable understanding on the issue was hoped to be achieved.

The meeting however could not be held, as unfortunately so, both Council and ZINWA did not respond to the Residents Association on the request for the meeting.

3) The Residents Association subsequently called for a meeting between the Executive Committee of the Association and other key stakeholders to discus the issue and formulate a way forward.

The meeting made the following resolutions;

i) That the generality of the residents of the town be engaged as a matter of urgency and be consulted on what they believe should be the best way forward on the matter.

ii) That a letter narrating the ordeal of the residents be written to the resident minister in this case Minister of State for Presidential Affairs for Matabeleland South Honourable Abednico Ncube with a view of inviting him to urgently play an intermediatory role in trying to solve the impasse between ZINWA and Council by engaging the ministries parent to the two quasi government departments that appear to be failing to find common ground while the residents suffer.

*_The letter has since been drafted and awaits delivery to the Minister through his office_*

iii) That the local Member of Parliament Hon Edison Gumbo be served with a letter seeking to get parliament's attention and assistance regards the water crisis in the town and that the letter be copied to all other parliamentarians resident in Gwanda.

*_The Letter has since been written and served to the parliamentarian through his office and no response has yet been received there from._*

4) A meeting with the generality of the residents was held yesterday on the 25th of April which was marked by a low residents turn up as only 79 residents turned up for the meeting.

The meeting however proceeded and the following were raised as a proposed way forward on the water crisis by the residents;

i) That the Resident Association proceeds with the correspondences to the resident minister and to the parliamentarians as agreed by the committee.

ii) That while the correspondences proceed residents engage on a mass demonstration to express their displeasure on the erratic water supplies and this demonstration be directed at ZINWA as the immediately identified problematic service provider.

ii) That in the demonstrations the residents demand for an immediate removal of ZINWA from the dual administration of water in the town and the water treatment plant be handed over to council.

iii) That the Resident Minister and local MP be asked to address the residents at the end of the demonstration to highlight how the water issue is being solved at government level as both Council and ZINWA have denigrated on meeting with the residents on the issue.

iv) That council immediately stops forced payments to ZINWA as a protest and let the water situation get worse which will ultimately force for higher authorities to realise the crisis bedeviling Gwanda.

v) Noting the low attendance, the residents called for the extension of the meeting to Thursday 27 April where more residents will be mobilised to discuss and adopt the resolutions proposed in the meeting and force for an immediate implementation of the resolutions.

The residents requested Council through the councillors in attendance to facilitate the mobilisation by providing the hailer to advise residents of the meeting as the meeting is for the good of both Council and the residents on the hope that a final solution will be found on the continued water crisis in the town.

*_The meeting for Thursday 27 April has since been cleared with the police and application for the use of the hailer to invite residents for the meeting has since been submitted to council and awaits authorisation._*

In pursuant of the above, Gwanda Residents Association therefore invites all residents of Gwanda and stakeholders to come on board and be part of trying to find a lasting solution to the on going water crisis in the town.

The Association strongly believes that a united residents is the only solution to this problem which has lasted for over a decade with no signs of an immediate solution to the problem in place other than viciously circling the problem through the same offices over the years.

Presented by:

B Maduma Fuzwayo

Secretary General

Gwanda Residents Association