Gwanda wins against Zinwa, get back water facilities

THE Government has given Gwanda municipality the green light to take over the running of the town's water treatment plant from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority.

The Deputy Director Water Resources Management in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, Engineer Gilbert Mawere, in a briefing to council and stakeholders yesterday at council chambers, said Gwanda had been allowed to take over the water plant.

"This plant has already been given to Gwanda municipality. However, we are here to fulfil the water and Government policy that there should be a fact finding mission to establish the council's capacity to run the water and water waste management," said Eng Mawere.

He said because of that mandate, the Minister (Oppah Muchinguri –Kashiri), set up a seven-member commission for Gwanda to assess its capability to run the water affairs.

"Our terms of reference are to assess the preparedness and technical capacity of Gwanda municipality to takeover and manage the water and water waste services, to assess the administrative capacity to do proper billing to residents, to assess financial capacity to support the operation and maintenance of the water and sewerage infrastructure and assess compensation to Zinwa," Eng Mawere said.

The commission first met the councillors and council management before meeting the town's stakeholders.

Residents in the town had gone for two months without water after Zinwa and the Town fathers locked horns over payment of a $10 million debt the municipality owed the water authority.

Council disputed the figure saying it owes close to $3 million.

Zinwa responded by putting bulk prepaid water meters and later rationed water to force the local authority to settle the debt.