Gwanda dries up again - residents threaten unsanctioned demonstration

The unceremonious cancellation of a Gwanda residents water demonstration by the police last week, residents have threatened to undertake an unsanctioned demonstration as the town immediately went dry again.

Gwanda has been having water challenges over the last three years as a result of a misunderstanding between the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and The Municipality of Gwanda over failures by the local authority to pay for water supplied and an $8 million debt the Council owes to ZINWA. The non payment by Council continuously forces ZINWA to cut off water supplies to the town.

Over the years the Council has been demanding to take over the water treatment plant from ZINWA in order to cut off the middlemen in the supply of water to the residents. The take over has proven to be failing.

Last week the residents decided to take the issue into their hands by going on a demonstration to solve the town's water problems. Amongst the list of the residents' demands was the call for an immediate removal of ZINWA from supplying water to Council.

The demonstration was scheduled for Wednesday but the police called off the demonstration on Tuesday claiming that Council and ZINWA had been given a ministerial order to sort out the town's water problems. The cancellation of the demonstration which the police claimed to have been sanctioned by Residents Association Chairman did not go down well with the residents who felt their grievances were not attended to in full.

Since the cancellation of the demonstration, residents have been sending messages to media threatening to go on an unsanctioned demonstration as the water situation has not shown any of the promised improvement. According to the residents the water cuts have in fact intensified since the day of the ill fated demonstration.

In a statement issued to media, ZINWA distanced itself from the so called ministerial directive. The water authority insisted that it will never budge into any arrangement other than having Council pay up it's dues before supplies are normalised.

The ZINWA Umzingwane catchment manager Vengesai Mazambane insisted to Zimeye that they will not budge to the demands of the residents and residents should address their issues to Council not ZINWA.

"We have no direct relationship with residents, if they have anything to demonstrate about it must be directed to Council," said Mazambane.

Following ZINWA's position the residents claim they feel let down by the Residents Association and are demanding for an immediate dismissal of the Chairman and the Secretary of the Residents Association. The two are accused of conniving with Council and police in calling off the demonstration.

Simbarashe Tasianaro a resident of the town said that the Chairman and the Secretary who are both civil servants employed at the Joshua Mqabuko Polytechnic sold out on the residents to protect their jobs. In a WhatsApp discussion in a Gwanda Residents chat group leaked to media Tasianaro said that the two must be given a vote of no confidence from the residents committee.

Several residents concurred with the accession and agreed to go on with the demonstration without the Residents Association leadership.
"We do not need police authorisation to do the demonstration, it's our right and we have genuine reasons to go on the demonstration," said a resident.

Spokesperson for the Residents Association Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo told media that  they had engaged the services of human rights lawyers to get an order compelling the police not to disrupt the demonstration.

"The residents will indeed get their chance to use their right to demonstrate and petition Council and ZINWA on their right to water,"  Fuzwayo is quoted.

"We will be resubmitting an urgent notice with the police for the demonstration and our lawyers will be on stand by to challenge the police if they decline the residents their right to demonstrate," he added.

Fuzwayo could neither confirm nor decline the proposed vote of no confidence against the leaders of the Association.

"I am not in a position to confirm nor decline that at the moment but can confirm that residents have sent in messages demanding for an urgent meeting in which they will want to express their displeasure with the committee especially on how the committee handled the issues around the demonstration."