Redcliff ‘stealing’ water: Kwekwe

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KWEKWE town clerk Emmanuel Musrara has accused the Redcliff Council of stealing treated water from the city for more than 15 years.

KWEKWE town clerk Emmanuel Musrara has accused the Redcliff Council of stealing treated water from the city for more than 15 years. BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER

Discussing an audit report during a full council meeting, Musara said Redcliff had illegally connected its residents to a Kwekwe City Council water supply pipe without permission.

“The correct words that should have been used is that Redcliff has been stealing water from Kwekwe City Council,” Musara said.

“They took water from our main supply line which they supplied to their residents and have since been billing them and collecting money which they are not remitting to us.”

However, Redcliff mayor Freddy Kapuya denied the allegations and called on Musrara and his team to come for an inspection in loco.

“We have not been stealing water from Kwekwe; all water that is supplied to Redcliff municipality comes from Ziscosteel and in turn we pay for the water supplies to the company which then pays to Kwekwe,” he said.

“They should come so that we inspect the alleged illegal connections.”

Audit committee chairperson Weston Masiya accused Redcliff of having connected plots on the main pipe which supplies bulk water to Ziscosteel.

“We want to recover the money which Redcliff has stolen from us for the past 15 years; that money is more than $1 million,” he said.

“We had thought of disconnecting them, but we feel it would cause a humanitarian crisis so we are just going to bill them.”

Kwekwe council resolved to install a bulk water meter on the alleged illegal connection to begin an official billing process while also attempting to recover the $1 million for the 15-year water supply.

The water war could further strain the already frosty relations between the two municipalities, which have been worsened by Redcliff’s failure to pay over $10 million in water bills to the Kwekwe municipality.