Power, water crisis haunt post-election Zim

MOSES MATENGA AND VIMBAI TANDI

Residents have accused politicians from across the political divide of basing their campaign messaging on lies on power supply and ending the water crisis as the challenges that had eased ahead of  August 23 have now intensified.

The ruling Zanu PF party centred its election campaign on several promises that included power supply while the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) focused on the water supply promises.

However, weeks after the elections won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa with his Zanu PF claiming a Parliamentary majority, power cuts have become the order of the day while the water crisis has resurfaced raising fresh fears of a potential Cholera outbreak.

Residents fear they were duped by politicians ahead of elections.

Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba told Business Times this week that the promises of better services delivery after polls could have been a “pie in the sky.”

“Most suburbs have gone for a very long time without water in particular following the 23 August elections,” Shumba said.

He added: “The period in the run up to the elections, most residents had access to municipal water, but soon after the elections the water supply almost dwindled or deteriorated to the extent that residents daily queue at community boreholes.”

Shumba said it now appeared to have been a political gimmick.

Several residents interviewed shared Shumba’s sentiments saying ahead of elections, political actors came with all sorts of promises including that of drilling boreholes but have gone quiet.

Shumba said the prevailing water crisis was a looming disaster for residents.

“It is very sad that people are spending three to four hours queueing for water. Fights breakout and the most affected are women and the young girls.”

“It’s very sad that in some cases we do not have communities receiving bowsers from the local authorities. So, the situation is really desperate, it’s very bad,” Shumba added.

“Going forward we believe that the best solution would be for the City of Harare to get some of its water from Darwendale dam and they can also improve the situation on focusing on the replacement of underground water pipes that are obsolete and aged because currently when the city pumps its water nearly 40% is going to waste through leakages and bursts along the water distribution network.

So, if they address this it means that the little water pumped will reach the intended households.”

So dire is the water crisis in Harare that council and other clinics are going without potable water risking lives of patients and visitors.

Council Director of Health Services, Dr Prosper Chonzi said patients and other residents are now being forced to use water from shallow wells.

There were fears of a diarrhoea outbreak at the University of Zimbabwe that has gone for days without water.

Chonzi pleaded with other council departments, mainly the department of Water to prioritise high density areas in supplying the precious liquid.

Harare has failed to address the water crisis despite the city getting over US$72mn from a Chinese bank.

The city also got more money to address the water crisis but nothing tangible has been achieved.

While the water crisis is hitting hard, residents have also raised issues with electricity supply.

Residents have gone for weeks now faced with what appear to be load shedding but authorities insist they were working on a fault and normalcy will soon be restored.