Minister Nguluvhe seeks solutions to ZINWA, Beitbridge Municipality water crisis saga

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, has intervened in the long-standing dispute between Beitbridge Municipality and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) over water control and tariffs.

The conflict centers around ZINWA’s bulk water supply charges to the municipality, which has led to a significant debt burden.

Beitbridge Municipality owes ZINWA a total of ZWG 249529.76 for raw water (ZiG499 529.76 as at 30 June) and (ZiG844 529.35 at the end of May).

This amount includes an interest figure which has been accumulating at 30% per year.

The two parties have taken each other to court, and at the height of the dispute, the water authority installed a bulk prepaid water meter in September last year to force the council to service its debt.

As a result, the municipality has struggled to remit payments due to low collections from residents and government departments that owe them money.

After receiving a presentation from Beitbridge Municipality during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on Friday in Beitbridge, Minister Nguluvhe said the water situation in the border town was worrisome.

“The water problems in Beitbridge cannot go on unresolved. I encourage ZINWA and Beitbridge Municipality to come to my office so that we may sit down and have candid discussions. This matter must be resolved for good. Solutions to limited service delivery in the province must come from us as a community; if we don’t act, none will do it for us. So, ZINWA and Beitbridge Municipality, let’s sit down and find a way forward,” said the Minister.

Minister Nguluvhe encouraged the local authority to make use of his office to engage government departments which owe the municipality ZWL 17,024,229.20 in water bills, services, and other service charges.

The Minister’s office is working to find a lasting solution to the water impasse, building on previous government interventions.

In March 2022, the Government intervened in the impasse between Beitbridge Municipality and ZINWA, agreeing to remove prepaid water meters and allow the municipality to manage its water affairs with ZINWA supervision.

In a presentation made on his behalf by the planning officer, Mr. Andrew Sibindi, the town clerk (Mr. Loud Ramakgapola) said:

“We still owe ZINWA for treated water; the figure is being disputed and still needs to be ascertained by the courts. The balance from ZINWA as at 31 March was ZWG 244,108.91. We don’t have their current statement. We paid ZINWA ZiG 790,000 in June for water purchases. Half was allocated to our legacy debt.”

@tupeyo

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