Outcry over Masvingo water disconnections

TATENDA CHIKARA  IN MASVINGO

Residents in Masvingo’s Mucheke suburb say they are shocked by the

local authority’s widespread water disconnections.

The Masvingo City Council has been disconnecting water services from households that have arrears in bills that have accumulated over

time.

The move prompted an outcry from residents this week.

Residents say they were already on payment plans and were paying in installments every month.

They also said bills were too exorbitant.

“Honestly, their bills are too expensive. Many could not afford to pay considering that we were in serious lockdowns.

“The bills are pegged between US$20 to US$30 and sometimes US$40 hence the reason for accumulating,” one Mucheke resident told Business Times.

Another resident said the local authority was supposed to warn residents of water disconnections.

“The city council should have given caution to their residents that they were going to disconnect water from residents who owe them or alternatively allow us to be on payment plans, because this has become a health hazard as water borne diseases are now imminent,” he said.

Masvingo Resident’s Trust coordinator Prosper Tiringindi said

they were against City fathers’ move to disconnect water to residents as

it was every resident’s right to access clean water.

“As Masvingo Residents Forum we are against that move, Council

should not disconnect water to residents because they have not paid

their bills as it is every resident’s right to get clean water.

Also we insist on the issue of payment plans, everyone knows the economic

situation in the country,” Tiringindi told Business Times.

He added: “We are going to take the council to court because what

it is doing is unlawful,” Tiringindi added.

The Mayor of Masvingo City Collen Maboke recently told Business Times that the council disconnected water to residents who defaulted on paying their bills through payment plans saying that residents should also play their roles in making sure councils manage to give them services.

“Residents who had their water disconnected was because their arrears had accumulated so much, some residents came to council for payment plans but they ended up defaulting so those are the ones we disconnected water for, if we don’t give water to residents we are now rendered as not doing our work,” Maboke said.

However, Maboke urged residents having challenges clearing their arrears to visit the council to discuss their issues.

“When you (residents) get challenges to pay bills, come to council offices and we discuss the best ways of paying bills,” he said.

The City fathers allege that government institutions and residents owe the council a lot of money that can result in its failure to provide some services to residents due to incapacitation.