Water crisis a haven for looters

BY MOSES MATENGA

Six Ministers, six Mayors and 18 years after the Cholera outbreak, one problem has refused to go away in Harare and it’s now a curse, a matter of life and death.

Harare has been ravaged by the water crisis as if there are no men and women to run the affairs of the metropolis and as if there is no central government to address the crisis that has gone on for long.

Difficult to forget is the death of over 4000 people in 2008, according to the National Institute of Health.

Up to now, Cholera is still a silent killer and observers feel the number of infections is being under reported.

Amid the crisis, vultures continue to cash in on the water crisis while the problem has just refused to go away.

When big figures translate to nothing but looting

Big figures have been thrown out in addressing the water crisis, first with the US$144 million loan facility from the China Exim Bank meant for the rehabilitation of the Morton Jaffray waterworks.

Of the US$144 million, US$72 million was availed by the Chinese bank and the vultures at town house, supported by then Local Government Minister, Ignatius Chombo, found this as an opportunity to acquire luxury vehicles for their comfort with nothing tangible at the Morton Jaffray.

It then becomes justified to say the US$72 million literally was sunk into Lake Chivero.

In 2020, then Mayor Herbert Gomba threw in scary figures for the panacea to the water crisis.

“We are looking forward to a US$800 million loan to address the distribution network in Harare, both for sewage and water and treatment plants and water centres like Warren Control,” Gomba said then.

There have been reports of millions of dollars needed or availed for the water fight but there remain just figures, no action on the ground

Six Mayors, several Ministers later, Harare remains dry

From Ministers Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo, Ignatius Chombo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Daniel Garwe, July Moyo and Winston Chitando, none has addressed the Harare water crisis.

Similarly, six Mayors have been in charge of Harare since 2008 but all have failed to address the challenge.

Muchadeyi Masunda reigned as Mayor from 2008 to 2013 and was succeeded by Bernard Manyenyeni who left in 2018 after a dramatic stint.

Masunda had practical solutions to the water crisis in Harare but 13 years after departing Town House, nothing has moved to present the panacea to the crippling challenges.

He felt the way forward was to bring Kunzvi Dam on stream because the installed capacity of Morton Jaffray Waterworks that draws water from Lake Chivero and Manyame River — which serves Greater Harare, Norton, Ruwa, Epworth and Chitungwiza — was insufficient for a hub of four million people.

Morton Jaffray was commissioned in 1953 and has not been expanded to correspond with the increasing population.

Manyenyeni came in as Mayor in 2013 and fought many battles, endured arrests and fights with then Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and chose to call Town House “Trauma Centre.”

During his tenure, Manyenyeni described the capital’s water crisis as “unacceptably painful,” saying obsolete infrastructure, severe pollution of Lake Chivero, and a 60% loss of treated water as key challenges.

Gomba came in 2018 but had a chaotic stint at Town House marred by arrests and political interference.

During his term, he made many revelations regarding the water crisis including that his council was seeking close to US$1 billion to address the water crisis in Harare.

He added the Zimbabwean and Chinese governments were working to finalise the deal and that the council had played its part in its quest to get the loan.

Gomba went and in came Stewart Mtizwa who also parroted the same solutions but never got a solution.

Ian Makone whose term was cut short also had his views and plans for the water crisis in Harare.

And now Mafume is on top and water levels remain low

Mafume is now firmly in charge of Town House but the water crisis remains and excuses continue.

“What people must understand is water is a continuous ecosystem,” he said. “It begins by building the reservoir so the building of Lake Chivero was done a long time ago. We built Darwendale, we then built Morton Jaffray which was then improved by the loans from the Chinese and those improvements are still there. What we are doing now is to improve where the Chinese loans left off by Helcraw.”

He said the local authority was now paying off the government for the Chinese loan that the central government assisted in paying off.

“We have introduced the levy and we are beginning to pay off the water loan which was paid for by the government and we are paying off the government the amount that it paid off.”

He however, admitted that a lot needs to be done before the water crisis is declared over.

“We are cognisant of the fact that a lot of work was done but a lot of work still has to be done. We need to have a new water station in Kunzvi that is in Donnybrook, we need to have a pipeline so Muchekeranwa is key, we need to build more reservoirs as the population increases so it is a continuous investment process.”

Residents are livid, say authorities are using the crisis for self-gain

Harare residents feel the water crisis will not go away anytime soon as some elements within the central government and council are pocketing millions.

“It (the water crisis) is a money making project. The water crisis in Harare is largely man made,” Harare Residents Trust Director Precious Shumba says.

He says the water crisis can be solved by new pipes in the city’s old suburbs like Mbare, Dzivarasekwa, Tafara, Mabvuku, Greendale, Mabelreign, Highlands among others.

“If council was serious, this work could have been 80% complete but officials are not in a hurry to address the water crisis because it is their looting avenue,” he said.

Shumba said Mayors have been playing to the gallery.

“Especially with the current Mayor, we think he is misled by his proximity to the national government so he has brought in new companies like Helcraw through the ministry of Local Government. The approach is linked to the privatisation of public services. Its linked to the undermining of the constitution particularly on devolution.”

“Main water decisions are now being made at the national level and not by councillors neither by the residents. There is little they can do to deal with the situation because national government is just saying engage Helcraw it will provide prepaid water meters. Those are temporary interventions because the real issue affecting Harare is unavailability of water, when it is available it has visible impurities.”

He said water funds are not being ring-fenced as the precious liquid is a cash cow for any local authorities.

“Funds meant for water have been diverted towards salaries, workshops, allowances and water funds have been directed to funding Harare football clubs and the funds have not been reinvested to upgrade water infrastructure,” he said.

“The main reason why the Mayors have not succeeded in addressing this issue is no one really, particularly those in the central government and top policy makers and managers at city of Harare are not willing to address the water crisis because they benefit from these big projects by getting huge pay-outs in commission from investors. It’s all corruption.”

“Players have not changed and we had companies linked to politicians benefitting, the players have not changed.

Of old pipes and obsolete infrastructure

The water infrastructure is now archaic and Harare is losing a huge percentage to leakages and illegal water connections.

“The water and sewer infrastructure has outlived its lifespan so in a phased approach, if the council was serious, they could have completed probably 80% of the work,” Shumba said.

At least 60% of treated water is being lost through leakages and illegal connections along the water distribution network and every year there is a Cholera outbreak because of the crisis.

“The crisis is that we have a health outbreak that is perennial. If we were systematically replacing old pipes with bigger underground water and sewer pipes, we would be addressing issues of population growth, new settlements that have emerged along the way and it means our infrastructure would not be overwhelmed.”

“Councillors and officials are concentrating on the big projects because they get money from commissions but a lot of the money goes to allowances, workshops and bribing people and at the end of the day, very little is used for the upgrading and maintenance of the water and sewer infrastructure,” Shumba lamented.

MPs voice concern, say the water crisis a constitutional matter

Members of Parliament feel the apparent lack of action to address the water crisis in Harare is a matter of ignoring the people’s constitutional right. Rushinga MP Nyabani last week said: “Section 77 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe says that people should have clean water, safe for consumption. Mr. Speaker Sir, in Harare and other urban centres, citizens are not getting clean water. Why am I saying that, Mr. Speaker Sir? Tap water in Harare is not clean. The water is contaminated. You cannot bath with it. It is not clean water and it violates the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”

“So, I am urging those who provide water to follow the Constitution of Zimbabwe which says that people should have clean, potable water that can be consumed and is safe for people.”

Now, the water crisis needs Presidential attention, political will

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke like a man who needs to confront the Johannesburg water crisis head-on during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week.

Ramaphosa did not only speak, he acted by forming a National Water Crisis Committee, chaired by the President and this is a clear demonstration of national resolve. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proven to be a man of action and the water crisis needs exactly that now, action.