Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru- Following the recent power cuts at Gweru council’s main water treatment plants by Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) over the past weeks, the local authority has since agreed to settle the outstanding debt by ring fencing the water account.
Speaking during an engagement meeting with Zesa team and the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Larry Mavima in Gweru last week, Gweru Acting Town Clerk, Vakai Chikwekwe said an acceptable payment plan had since been made to the power utility.
He added that, as a local authority they have asked the resident minister to petition the line ministry over the re-introduction of set-offs.
“As city of Gweru we have engaged with Zesa on a number of agreements and have always done that before. We have agreed to have set-offs revived because the line ministries used to help us with those and we have agreed with the Minister of State to petition the line ministry , that is the Ministry of Finance over this setoff so that they help us clear our debt.
“We are also going to ring fence the water account so that we use it to clear the debts. This account has been used before to pay for other essentials such as chemicals and uniforms for our workers in that department and we have resorted to use it to clear the arrears at hand,” Chikwekwe said.
He added that water disconnections for residents with outstanding bills required a constitutional approach.
“On debt collection, yes it is one mechanism we have tried before but totally disconnecting residents is the last resort of all as that requires a constitutional approach. As a local authority we are continuously engaging our residents and the business community to pay their bills,” he added.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Larry Mavima however instructed the power utility not to switch off the city’s water systems.
“I call upon Gweru city council to come up with an acceptable payment plan to clear its ZESA debt while calling on residents to pay their water bills and rates timeously,
“And for Zesa, I urge you to explore other measures of enforcing payment for services by local authorities as opposed to resorting to disconnection of power at critical service facilities such as water plants. The local authority will not disconnect residents’ water and instead should look at other alternative ways to recover the debt such as attachment of property.
“As for the residents of Gweru, they must fully play their part by consistently paying their water bills and rates to enable the local authority to meet its service delivery obligations,” he added.
Meanwhile Zesa Acting General Manager, Gibson Kasipo said the power utility was closely working with the local authority in averting some of the challenges on the ground.
“We always work closely with our local authority especially when we have challenges on the ground. During the rainy season, we usually encounter a lot of faults due to bad weather.
“So we usually seek assistance in form of tractors because some of the areas are not accessible. More so when our supplies are low or when shedding, we always notify them. So our interventions take long during this period,” he said.
Highlighting the aspect of introducing alternative power sources, Gweru council said it has no resources to establish such plants at the moment.
“While the local authority would love to have an alternative backup power source like a solar plant to ensure uninterrupted water supply, we do not have the financial muscle to undertake installation of solar power at our water works.” said GCC’s director of Engineering services Praymore Mhlanga.
Residents in areas such as Mkoba 19 and 20 as well as some some parts of Ascot have since resorted to harvesting rain water as council water remains a scarce commodity due to water rationing among other challenges.
Last year Zesa switched off Town House as the debt accumulated to ZW$143 million.
