Minister defends takeover of Matabeleland-Zambezi project

By Lance Guma
10 December 2009

Water Resources Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo has defended the government takeover of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project. He accused politicians in the region of exploiting the project towards election time, only to disappear from the scene soon after. Last week Nkomo announced the government takeover arguing it was meant to ‘remove the many bottlenecks the project encountered over the years’ and to also avoid having water pricing left in private hands.
The move did not go down well with ZAPU leader and Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project Trust chairman, Dumiso Dabengwa, who says they were not consulted. He described the project as an initiative by the people of Matabeleland and therefore could not understand how the government could take over its management and ownership. Dabengwa also narrated how they had been frustrated by the Mugabe regime over the years, despite the Trust finding investors willing to come into the project.

On Thursday Minister Nkomo however told us he was surprised at Dabengwa’s comments. He said the decision to take over the water project was made in January 2004, but the then Water Resources Minister did not follow through on it. Nkomo also said they had consulted former and current ZAPU leaders, including the late Joseph Msika, John Nkomo and others. Sipepa Nkomo said they had also met Dabengwa and his CEO, Sarah Ndlovu, with a follow up meeting slated for the New Year.

Nkomo said he wanted to ‘liberate the project from politics’ and pointed out how its leadership was composed of members from one political party, and that was ZAPU. ‘Each time an election came you would see activity but afterwards nothing would happen. It’s because it was used as a political tool,’ he added. So what is going to be the relationship between government and the Trust led by Dabengwa? Nkomo said he was still not sure but was ‘open to how we will relate’. Despite the developing acrimony he insists the Trust remains an important stakeholder.