Gweru residents drag council to court

ELIAS MAGINYA  IN GWERU

Residents  have taken the Gweru City Council to the Magistrate Court over its decision to  convert a community borehole into a water kiosk, Business Times can report.

The City Council is now charging US$1 a month for residents  to get water from a borehole in Nehosho suburb, in Gweru.

The residents led by Takunda Manjokota, cited  Ward 5 Councillor, Cleopas Shiri,  Gweru City Council acting Town Clerk VD Chikwekwe and the Mayor  of Gweru City Council, Hamutendi Kombayi as respondents.

In an application filed by residents, the council is accused of allegedly passing a resolution to convert a donated borehole to a water kiosk.

The borehole was sunk about a decade ago by a donor to curb the water crisis in Gweru.

The residents now want the council to reverse their decision.

Part of the application reads: “I seek by way of application the following relief: that the application for spoliation order and an interdict be granted.

That respondent be ordered to restore back the community borehole to its rightful owners.

That respondents and all the 2nd respondents, employees be and are hereby interdicted from interfering whatsoever with disrupting or confiscating the community borehole without the authority of a court order. ”

The bases of the story are that sometime in the 2013, a borehole was sunk in Nehosho suburb, Gweru by a donor sourced through the then ward councilor Moses Marecha. The borehole was however handed over to the community for use and possession according to the residents.

From that period the community of Senga, Nehosho, Adelaid Park and surrounding areas have been using the borehole as an alternative source of water when the council failed to.

“Water has become a perennial problem in the city as the local authority has been failing to provide the essential need consistently for some given reasons.

On Thursday residents woke up to a shock when they were instructed to pay for water.

“The city council always mentioned that they would introduce commercial boreholes.  They must sink their own boreholes and leave out these donor-funded, ” said a resident who commented on  condition of anonymity.

Manjokota approached the courts seeking that the case may be heard urgently and the condition was granted.

Gweru Residents and Rate Payers Association director, Cornilia Seliphiwe, condemned the city council for not consulting residents.

“Does water from the borehole need any treatment? The idea might be very noble considering the price, which is a dollar for the whole month, but the issue is that the City council never engaged the residents before implementation. Water is a basic right, how about those who cannot afford to buy?

 Efforts to get a comment from Gweru City Council were futile.