Zimpapers Logo

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
KWEKWE City Council has disconnected water supplies to Redcliff town over a $9 million debt.

Redcliff buys water from Kwekwe Municipality and its taps ran dry two weeks ago.

Kwekwe mayor Councillor Matenda Madzoke said they had resorted to the drastic measure after realising that Redcliff city fathers were not sincere.

“Redcliff and the now defunct Zimbabwean Iron and Steel Company (Ziscosteel) owe us a combined $16,5 million.

Redcliff is paying us a paltry $1,000 per month towards settling the debt. At the same time, we owe Zesa $12 million and the matter was at the High Court which ordered that we pay the money,” he said.

“So we are in a fix here, we owe Zesa and Redcliff and Ziscosteel owe us. The only solution is disconnecting water supplies like what we have done in order to force them to pay us. So we will not restore water supplies until we get our money.”

Clr Madzoke said of the $12 million Zesa debt, $10, 6 million was from Dutchman pool water treatment plant.

“The Minister of Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Saviour Kasukuwere is aware that we have disconnected water to Redcliff and we will engage him on the way forward because our residents can’t keep buying water chemicals and settling Zesa bills for the water which is freely given to Redcliff,” he said.

Redcliff Mayor, Clr Fred Kapuya said his council was to blame for failing to settle the $9 million water debt.

“Residents are not paying for the water they use and as a result, we are also failing to settle our water debt with Kwekwe. Actually 95 percent of Redcliff residents are in serious arrears,” he said.

Clr Kapuya said residents were between 10 – 15 months in arrears.

He said they were currently negotiating with Kwekwe so that it avails water on certain days per week since they were failing to pay for the service.

Residents have urged the government to urgently resolve the town’s water problems.