Water crisis hits Plumtree town

Residents of Plumtree town are facing a crippling water shortage, with limited and irregular water supplies forcing many to wake up in the early hours to fetch water.

The municipality has implemented a water-shedding schedule that has sparked frustration among residents, who say they often go days without running water despite paying their rates. Some households report water arriving only between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., while others have no supply at all for extended periods.

Businesses in the border town are also feeling the impact, with restaurants and fast-food outlets struggling to maintain hygiene standards amid erratic water availability.

"We only get water at very odd hours; sometimes it reaches our houses, and sometimes it doesn't at all. We are forced to wake up as early as 2 a.m. on the chance we might get some," said one resident who was fetching water from a bush pump borehole.

Town Secretary Thembelani Nyoni attributed the shortages to financial constraints, citing unpaid water and rates bills. According to Nyoni, residents owe the municipality ZiG8,268,702.75 in water fees and ZiG81,333,828.43 in rates.

"Water services are supplied on a cost-recovery basis, which means that all production costs should be met by the user of the service. The situation is that users have not honoured their water bills," Nyoni said.

He added that the council is struggling to cover essential costs, including chemicals for water treatment, electricity, maintenance, and repairs, and appealed to residents to settle their outstanding debts.

"Normal service will resume when all outstanding debts are honoured," Nyoni said, without specifying when the water supply would stabilise.