Bulawayo water, sewer woes persist

As Bulawayo enters the final quarter of 2026, water shortages, frequent sewer bursts, and crumbling service delivery continue to fuel tensions between residents and the city council.

Interviews with the Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) and mayor David Coltart reveal a city caught between urgent expectations and long-term infrastructure recovery plans.

Bura chairperson Winos Dube said on Sunday that residents were disillusioned by council's inability to resolve long-standing problems.

"We are very disappointed," Dube said. "Yes, people point to poor rains, but we call for some innovativeness to make sure the water crisis is addressed."

He added that sewer bursts, particularly in high-density suburbs, had become unbearable.

"People have been living under terrible sewer bursts here and there. That is one area that really needs to be looked into," he said.

On billing, Dube accused council of ignoring pleas to end inflated estimates.

"We are having heavy bills, which we have always lobbied council to revisit, but to no avail," he said. "There are challenges going back to 2023 and 2024 which we had hoped would be rectified, but up to now, there has been no correction."

Despite meetings with government and business stakeholders, Dube said "recommendations have not been adhered to," leaving residents doubtful about change.

"It is just our hope that going into 2026 we will see some improvement. How, I can't really say, but our expectation is better service delivery and accountability within our council."

Mayor Coltart, however, urged patience, warning that the city's problems were decades in the making.

"What residents need to understand is that we have had decades of neglect which has affected our water infrastructure, our roads, and the like," Coltart said. "This is not going to be turned around overnight. This is a marathon, not a sprint."

He highlighted progress towards establishing a standalone Water Authority and the long-delayed Glassblock Dam.

"We are in the final throes of negotiations regarding the water offtake purchase agreement. The African Development Bank is now involved, and I'm hoping that we can have an agreement signed within the next month," Coltart said.

He admitted delays in raising nearly US$100 million had stalled the project but stressed that construction would begin once financing was secured.

"Glassblock is going to take at least two years to build, so it's not going to provide short-term relief," he said.

Phase two of the upgrade, estimated at US$10 million, includes rehabilitation of the Ncema purification works, doubling the Tuli Reservoir, and refurbishing pipelines through 2026–27.

On service delivery, Coltart said progress was visible in areas such as Pumula South, where more houses had been connected. He also cited website upgrades and new lifts at Tower Block as signs of gradual improvement.

To address accountability concerns, the mayor pledged to clear outstanding audits and implement new financial reporting measures in 2026.

"We are pushing for accounts to be fully audited so that residents of our city know that we have been fully audited and accountable," he said.