HIV+ residents to sue Harare water denial

Over 200 HIV positive residents of Harare's Mabvuku suburb are preparing a joint civil suit against Harare city authorities they accuse of failing to provide clean, taped water in their homes to take with their medication.

The residents say they are being forced to take their medication with unhygienic water sourced from the high density suburb's unprotected wells. Mabvuku, situated in Harare's eastern peripheries, has not had running water for nearly a decade.

The group has since approached the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) seeking legal advice on how they could successfully execute the legal challenge.

Nyasha Sani, who works with ZLHR's HIV, Law and Rights Unit, said they were prepared to assist the group, adding that access to clean water was a fundamental right.