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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Online Reporter

THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has embarked on a revenue collection blitz to recover more than $19 billion owed by clients.

In a statement, the authority’s corporate communications and marketing manager  Mrs Munyonga said as of February 28, 2023, clients owed Zinwa about $19 billion up from around $12 billion at the end of November 2022.

She said Government Ministries and Departments account for almost $7 billion, with irrigators owing about $4 billion.

Local Authorities, said Mrs Munyonga, owe about $3 billion, domestic clients account for almost $3 billion, agricultural estates are in the red for $868 million and mines $652 million, Churches and parastatals owe $51 million, and $468 million, while schools owe $321 million.

Mrs Munyonga said the huge debtors’ book continues to weigh down Zinwa’s operations as the revenue generated from the payment of bills is used to pay for critical inputs such as water treatment chemicals, fuel, electricity, and spares.

Zinwa also requires money to carry out capital-intensive dam maintenance exercises so that dams are kept in a safe state and for the expansion and rehabilitation of the water treatment and reticulation systems. The Authority is also required to meet statutory obligations that include the payment of taxes, levies, and creditors.

“Zinwa is therefore instituting measures to recover these debts and these measures include the disconnection of defaulting clients, engagement of the debtors themselves, and taking legal action against some of the debtors. The Authority is also installing prepaid water meters to help curb the further growth of the debtors’ book with prepaid water meters having already been installed in Karoi, Mvurwi, Chivhu, Murehwa, Gokwe, Nyanga, Mutoko and more recently; Glendale where the installation of 1 900 prepaid water meters is underway,” said Mrs Munyonga.

The authority appealed to all their clients whose accounts are in arrears to settle their bills as there exists a very strong relationship between sustainable service delivery and payment for services. When clients are not paying for the services they get, Zinwa consequently becomes inadequately resourced and incapacitated to provide reliable service.

@flora_sibanda