By Staff Reporter
MASVINGO – Several government departments in Masvingo, including the District Registry,
Public Works and the District Development Coordinator’s offices, have had their water supply
disconnected by the city council over non-payment of service charges, leaving dozens of workers
and thousands of daily clients without access to clean water in what has been described as a
ticking health time bomb.
The registry department is among the major affected, as its district and provincial offices were
both disconnected, as well as the Public Works department, which is responsible for paying for
amenities at the registry department.
The disconnections at the registry add to a long list of challenges that have plagued the registry
offices in recent months, including chronic shortages of receipt books, birth certificate forms,
and other essential stationery, prolonged electricity disconnections due to unpaid bills, and fuel
shortages that have hampered the collection of stock from Harare.
Masvingo City Council Public Relations Officer Tinashe Tshuma confirmed the water
disconnections, saying it was part of council’s efforts to force payments. He said government was
among major debtors, but others were spared because they showed commitment to pay, and
others had already made payment plans.
“The disconnections are part of efforts by council to persuade organisations and individuals to
pay their dues to council. Several government and other private institutions haven’t paid but
some showed commitment and made payment plans,” said Tshuma.
The latest development has raised serious health concerns, as the registry offices serve a large
number of people daily, including pregnant women, the elderly, and children seeking national
identity documents, birth certificates, and passports. With no running water, both staff and
members of the public are left without basic sanitation facilities, raising the risk of disease
outbreaks.
The District Registry offices also house the District Development Coordinator’s Office and
several other departments, and sources said the situation was a health time bomb.
“The registry offices are always packed with people from across the province. Some travel long
distances and spend hours waiting. Without water, the toilets cannot be used, and people have
nowhere to wash their hands. This is a serious health hazard,” said a source.
Contacted for comment by TellZim News over the matter, Masvingo DDC Joyce Chikugu chose
to be diplomatic and said she was not at the offices and was not aware of what was happening
there.
“I am not at the office so I am not sure of what is happening there. If I comment, I would be
lying,” she said.
Dozens of government workers who report for duty at the offices are also affected, with some
forced to bring their own drinking water or leave the premises in search of basic amenities.
Efforts to get a comment from the Public Works Masvingo Provincial Director Peter Muzite
were futile as he said he was in a meeting and could not respond. The Public Works department
is responsible for paying for those amenities at the registry offices. Interestingly, water was also
disconnected at the Public Works offices in the industrial area.
The water disconnection is the latest in a string of administrative breakdowns at the registry
offices, which have faced repeated closures and disruptions.
In November 2025, TellZim News reported that the Masvingo District Registry Office had
suspended ID replacements for nearly two weeks after running out of official receipt books,
forcing applicants to be turned away despite the urgent need for identity documents.
In October 2025, the same offices were among several government buildings that endured
prolonged power disconnections after the Department of Public Works failed to settle prepaid
electricity accounts. That ZESA challenge was only addressed after TellZim News exposed the
matter.
