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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]

IN the wake of rampant vandalism and theft of water infrastructure, Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it will require about 600 security guards to adequately provide security at the Nyamandlovu Aquifer borehole sites.

Only five security personnel are said to be deployed on site despite rampant vandalism and theft that has left only 25 out of 77 Nyamandlovu boreholes operational.

With Government continuously pumping funds to repair the boreholes, only to be vandalised within a short space of time by criminal elements, the need to tighten security has become topical with experts suggesting the deployment of technology such as drones.

A combination of theft, vandalism and unplanned power outages have been blamed for worsening the water supply challenge across the city, forcing residents to go for weeks without water as some resort to unprotected sources.

Responding to an enquiry by councillors on whether the local authority was deploying security guards at Nyamandlovu Aquifer to tackle vandalism head-on, town clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, said concerted efforts were needed to address the challenge.

This was after Deputy Mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, questioned how vandalism was taking place in the presence of council security guards. He further argued that the council, as a beneficiary, should take measures to increase the security of the boreholes and any other equipment.

In response, Mr Dube said boreholes should have new water pumping technology and that all the stakeholders — the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) and BCC — should provide security.

“If council was to guard the whole of Nyamandlovu, 600 guards would be required, which was beyond council’s financial capacity,” said Mr Dube, quoted in the latest council minutes issued yesterday.

The city’s chamber secretary, Mrs Sikhangele Zhou, weighed in saying at the moment there were only five council security guards and one supervisor who could not guard all the 77 boreholes.

“Zinwa and Zesa are expected to add on to security to safeguard the pumps and transformers at the aquifer. The infrastructure at the aquifer belongs to Zinwa and council was complementing Zinwa security,” she said.

“Farmers benefiting from the boreholes were requested to provide security on a voluntary basis. Out of the 77 boreholes, only 25 were operational and BCC guards were only stationed at five posts of the operational boreholes,” said Mrs Zhou.