News / Local
Gwanda water woes persist
06 Mar 2022 at 08:23hrs | Views
A drive along the streets of Spitzkop suburb in Gwanda as early as 5am follows a trail of desperate women and children carrying water buckets in search of water.
Miss Tobekile Toma (16) and other women from her neighbourhood spend many hours in the morning queuing at the community tap where they buy a 20 litre bucket of water for two rand.
After buying a single 20 litre bucket of water, Toma has to rush home to feed and care for her four-month-old baby.
It is a women's daily struggle that Toma has to endure.
"We have no choice, but to come here early to fetch water," said a young mother, Miss Toma (16) as she patiently queues for her turn at the community tap.
"I usually come earlier to fetch water before the queue gets longer.
This is a desperate situation, we need help. We have heard reports of abuse at the community tap, with some men wanting to take advantage of women for just helping them to carry their water buckets," said Miss Toma.
Residents residing at suburbs such as Spitzkop North Extension, Phakama, Senondo and Ultra in the Matabeleland South capital have faced water challenges for years.
In 2011, the Gwanda Town Council started constructing a five megalitre water reservoir in Gwanda town to solve the water crisis.
Upon its completion in 2019, the only remaining work on the project involved the connection of pipes from the water reservoir to the houses, but to date there has been no movement.
The Gwanda municipality had at first projected that the works will be completed by November 2017, but failed due to financial problems.
It resumed after the central Government chipped in with ZW$800 000, but is yet to be completed.
Masekelantaba residents at Spitzkop also complained that the water they received from community taps was contaminated and dirty, raising fears of water borne diseases.
Spitzkop resident, Miss Silenkosi Ncube (27) said she has resorted to buying mineral water.
"This other day my son started complaining of stomach pains after drinking tap water.
Surely we cannot afford to live like this," she said.
The water crisis has also affected the business community in the small mining town.
Writing on Gwanda Business Platform, a WhatsApp group where business men and council officials are included, one businessman, Mr Zac Gava said: "There's no business without clean water.
Gwanda needs clean water for better business. What the council is doing isn't good."
A representative of Gwanda Residents Association (GRA), Mr Wellington Nare said they have petitioned Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland South Province Abednico Ncube the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to intervene.
Miss Tobekile Toma (16) and other women from her neighbourhood spend many hours in the morning queuing at the community tap where they buy a 20 litre bucket of water for two rand.
After buying a single 20 litre bucket of water, Toma has to rush home to feed and care for her four-month-old baby.
It is a women's daily struggle that Toma has to endure.
"We have no choice, but to come here early to fetch water," said a young mother, Miss Toma (16) as she patiently queues for her turn at the community tap.
"I usually come earlier to fetch water before the queue gets longer.
This is a desperate situation, we need help. We have heard reports of abuse at the community tap, with some men wanting to take advantage of women for just helping them to carry their water buckets," said Miss Toma.
Residents residing at suburbs such as Spitzkop North Extension, Phakama, Senondo and Ultra in the Matabeleland South capital have faced water challenges for years.
In 2011, the Gwanda Town Council started constructing a five megalitre water reservoir in Gwanda town to solve the water crisis.
Upon its completion in 2019, the only remaining work on the project involved the connection of pipes from the water reservoir to the houses, but to date there has been no movement.
The Gwanda municipality had at first projected that the works will be completed by November 2017, but failed due to financial problems.
It resumed after the central Government chipped in with ZW$800 000, but is yet to be completed.
Masekelantaba residents at Spitzkop also complained that the water they received from community taps was contaminated and dirty, raising fears of water borne diseases.
Spitzkop resident, Miss Silenkosi Ncube (27) said she has resorted to buying mineral water.
"This other day my son started complaining of stomach pains after drinking tap water.
Surely we cannot afford to live like this," she said.
The water crisis has also affected the business community in the small mining town.
Writing on Gwanda Business Platform, a WhatsApp group where business men and council officials are included, one businessman, Mr Zac Gava said: "There's no business without clean water.
Gwanda needs clean water for better business. What the council is doing isn't good."
A representative of Gwanda Residents Association (GRA), Mr Wellington Nare said they have petitioned Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland South Province Abednico Ncube the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to intervene.
Source - Citizen Bulletin
