Moses Ziyambi
The Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (Murra) has made an urgent High Court application for an order compelling Masvingo City Council to quickly restore water to all areas that have not had the service or have had erratic supplies since Thursday last week.
City of Masvingo had not filed its response by the time of writing but the matter is expected to be heard in the Masvingo High Court on Tuesday.
The application lists Murra and Anoziva Muguti as first and second applicants respectively while Masvingo City Council is listed as the sole respondent. The residents’ rights organisation is being represented by Phillip Shumba of Mutendi, Midisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners.
“The Constitutional rights of the Applicants and all those on whose behalf they bring the Application are under imminent threat as a direct result of the actions and inactions of the Respondent. Specifically in that the Respondent threatened and continues to threaten not to supply water to the residents for it is now seven days without a supply of running water to the residents of Masvingo.
“The Respondent has failed to take action for the past seven days to restore water supply to the residents of Masvingo.
“The Applicants aver that the continuation of the above actions and inactions will likely cause irreparable harm to the Applicants and all those they represent and therefore seek an interim Mandatory interdict compelling the Respondent to supply water to the residents,” reads part of the application.
On Sunday, August 26, City of Masvingo released a statement, signed by outgoing town clerk Adolf Gusha, attributing faults on its pumping equipment at Bushmead waterworks as the cause for the crisis.
“The City is seized with carrying out repairs to the equipment that has been taken to Harare. While every effort is being made to expedite the repairs, we are unable to give a date when supplies will resume at full capacity,” part of the stament reads.
The crisis has sparked fears of a cholera and/or typhoid outbreak similar to that which recently hit Gweru.top news
