Bulawayo Mayor says government bullied him to accept Zinwa

By Henry Makiwa
19 October 2007

Bulawayo Mayor Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube is adamant that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) is unfit to assume responsibilities of the city’s water and sewage system, despite press reports that he had agreed to a takeover last week.

Ndabeni-Ncube rubbished reports in the state-controlled Chronicle newspaper on Thursday, which accused him of making a “u-turn” following his supposed earlier endorsement of Zinwa a week ago. The Mayor said his council had instead launched a campaign to give the city’s residents, business community and civil society, a platform to register their disapproval of a Zinwa takeover.

Through the state media government alleges that Ndabeni-Ncube wrote a letter to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Ignatius Chombo, blessing the transfer of the water system to Zinwa.

The water authority has already made a proposal to draw the city’s water supply from Khami dam, which is heavily polluted by sewage, to ease the eight-months-old water crisis. The move has attracted fierce criticism from most of Bulawayo’s residents, including Zanu PF chef and chairman of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trust, Dumiso Dabengwa.

Those opposed to the move, which has been marred by controversy ever since its proposal, argued that Zinwa has failed to offer good service in other cities including Victoria Falls, Harare and Gweru.

But Chombo, in a letter last week, gave no room for compromise to the Bulawayo city council. He indicated that 95 percent of urban centres throughout the country have so far transferred their water and sewerage systems to Zinwa and that the Government expected Bulawayo city council to follow suit, without qualms.

However Ndabeni-Ncube has refused to budge, accusing Chombo of employing “bully tactics.”

In a press statement Ndabeni-Ncube said the council was inviting “all and sundry” to continue lobbying the Government to change its mind.

“To all stakeholders and Bulawayo people as a whole who sent in submissions and petitions to both the Bulawayo City Council and the relevant ministries, appealing against the takeover issue, I say you gave a good and respected stand against the takeover issue, you demonstrated your honourable position.”

He added: “Your voice and concerns were heard loud and clear. Your standpoint and the position of the Bulawayo City Council on the issue remain known and unchanged. We respect your views and concerns and we are informing you of the outcome, that of the Zinwa takeover. We wish to advise that as council we have nothing to hand over but Zinwa can take over.”