A GWANDA-BASED police officer drowned on Wednesday while bathing in Mtshabezi River as the water crisis in Gwanda deepened following the Zimbabwe National Water Authority’s (Zinwa) decision to ration water supplies over a $5 million debt owed by the municipality.
ALBERT NCUBE/ LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI
The police constable, identified as Marshall Gwanzura, believed to be in his early 20s, drowned at around 5pm on Wednesday as he took a swim after fetching water from the river where tales of mermaids causing people to disappear are scaring residents.
“He had been fetching water with friends when he decided to swim,” Ellen Nkomo, who was fetching water from the river when tragedy struck, said.
“He was posing for pictures when he suddenly went under water and when he did not reappear, his friends went to report the matter to the police.”
Gwanzura was retrieved from the river yesterday morning by members of the sub aqua unit almost 15 hours after he drowned. Provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.
“A police officer drowned on Wednesday in the late afternoon and investigations are underway to establish what happened,” he said.
“We are not privy as to how it occurred and we are yet to get more details. All I can say is that investigations are underway to establish what the cause of the accident was.”
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Gwanda mayor Knowledge Ndlovu bemoaned Zinwa’s decision to cut water supplies, saying it was in contempt of court as there is a High Court order barring the water authority from disconnecting supplies as a way of recovering their debt.
“We don’t understand why Zinwa is taking such a decision which is detrimental to the livelihoods of the community,” he said.
Last Monday, two men escaped death by a whisker, but three of the cattle they were transporting died when a Nissan Atlas truck they were travelling in veered off the narrow Mtshabezi Bridge and plunged into the river.
Zinwa has also cut water supplies to Kwekwe, plunging the city into a week-long water crisis.
