Sydney Ncube

MIRROR REPORTER

ZVISHAVANE– The mining town of Zvishavane has gone for three weeks without tap water supply posing serious health threats to residents, Zvishavane Town Council Chairperson Khulekani Ndlovu has said.

Ndlovu attributed the poor water supply to severe loadshedding which is affecting normal pumping of water. He said council is working on rectifying the issue.

“We get electricity for only two hours a day and we cannot pump water for the whole town in that limited time. Our treatment plant at Dadaya cannot supply the whole town and we have asked Mimosa for help,” he said.

The most affected areas are high density suburbs of Maglas, Kandodo, Nil and Mandava where residents use public toilets and bathrooms.

A Mandava resident Panashe Sibanda said residents are now defecating in open spaces as the public toilets are a messy.

“We live in a ghetto where people make use of public toilets and now people have resorted to defecating in open spaces and feaces are now everywhere. Resident are now prone to waterborne diseases. Council should change for the better,” said Sibanda.

Zvishavane Residents and Ratepayers Association Secretary Tawanda Ruzvidzo attributed the water challenges to the incompetence of council’s engineering department.

“Water is key and we cannot go without it. The problem we are facing lies within council’s engineering department. Zimbabwe Electricty Supply Authority (ZESA) is another entity and council engineers must find a solution because residents are at risk.

“The water and sewer reticulation sections are the main thrust of the local authority. The main problem is that council doesn’t admit failure and people must be notified early,” he said.