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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
A HAPPY employee is a productive worker and this could be true for Jacob Bethel Corporation (JBC) engineering company workers after their employer resorted to delivering water to their homes in view of Bulawayo’s water crisis and Covid-19.

The company’s management after observing the worsening water crisis in Bulawayo started door-to-door delivery of water to their homes.

Bulawayo is enduring a 144-hour weekly water shedding exercise that council is failing to abide by due to technical faults among other challenges.

At least 200 litres of water is delivered to homes of each of the 50 JBC employees twice or thrice a week.

The quantity is even higher than what is drawn at a council-delivered water bowser, where residents are restricted to 100 litres per delivery as council makes two deliveries per week.

JBC managing director Mr Blessing Munatsi said delivering water to employees’ homes is part of the company’s measures to minimise their risk of contracting Covid-19.

At the moment most of the country’s Covid-19 cases are due to local transmissions as infections have surpassed 7 000.

“At the office we discuss with our guys where we meet twice a week to discuss the coronavirus in less than 10 minutes. While they know about the risks of Covid-19 and implement prevention measures at the workplace, we need them to do the same at their homes. The water crisis is one area which we felt could increase their risk of contracting Covid-19. We have a borehole so we decided to start delivering water to their homes. This is a part of our corporate social responsibility but directly benefitting our workers,” said Mr Munatsi.

He said they they also ferry employees to and from the workplace, to reduce risks of being exposed to Covid-19.

A Chronicle news crew came across the company vehicle delivering water at the house of one the employees in Nkulumane suburb.

The employee, Mr Timothy Zulu, said some of them have gone for three months without water hence, the company has come to their rescue.

“Our managing director Mr Munatsi visited us last week. He lives in Harare and during one of the discussions in the company, he observed that some of the work suits were dirty. Employees highlighted that the water crisis was forcing them to come with unwashed work suits and he took a position that water be delivered at each and every home. So, we started last week to deliver water to houses of all the employees,” said Mr Zulu.

Mr Zulu’s colleague, Mr Lovemore Chikukwa said he stays at Tshabalala Flats and had not received running water for three months.

He commended the company’s management for taking care of the employees beyond their financial requirements.

A son to one the company’s employees Mr Talent Muchilo, said home delivery of water has become a relief to them as they no longer have to queue for long hours waiting for water.

“Before the company started this initiative, we would queue at the borehole maybe from 6AM but only get water after 3PM. So, imagine the time you would have spent queuing for water, it means you become less productive on other issues. But with this water delivery we are very happy that we won’t have to hassle for water, especially considering that the delivery would be made more than once a week,” said Mr Muchilo. — @nqotshili