KWEKWE and Redcliff went for a second day without water yesterday after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) closed water valves from Sebakwe Dam following a standoff over an $800 000 debt.
BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER
This is the second time that Zinwa has cut bulk raw water to the two local authorities in six months over the unserviced debt.
Kwekwe mayor Matenda Madzoke confirmed that Zinwa had cut water supplies off forcing the city’s 100 000 plus residents to scrounge for water from unprotected sources exposing them to waterborne diseases.
“We indeed owe Zinwa $800 000 and they cut water to us off because of that debt even though I had held meetings with the Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and officials from the Water Resources and Infrastructural Development ministry,” Madzoke said.
“I understand that they have their own cashflow challenges and they are struggling to pay their workers, so in cutting off supplies, they want to force us to pay.”
Kwekwe, which gets its raw water from Sebakwe Dam, supplies residents as well as Redcliff, which does not have its own water source.
Madzoke said his council was failing to service its water debt because it was owed over $10 million by Ziscosteel in outstanding water bills.
