…Public resorts to bush toilets
By Beverly Bizeki
The Zvishavane Civil Registry Offices which is offering passport services for the bulk of people from Midlands and Masvingo Province is operating without public toilets, it has been established.
The situation is forcing passport and other vital documents applicants to resort to the use of bush toilets around the government complex, a situation that can spark a health disaster if it remains unchecked.
The registry offices that are housed at a government complex and opened doors last year (2023) has 12 toilets for the staff only and are always locked so the applicants have no access to them.
TellZim further established that there was a toilet project that was initiated by platinum mine Mimosa but failed to yield the desired results as they failed to get water within sixty meters they had sunk for a solar-powered borehole.
“The situation worsened after a passport office was opened because many people frequented the place. In December we received large numbers of people due to the rush that happened as prices were about to change into the following year and people had to use the bush,” said a source.
Another source said after the department opened, CBZ bank drilled a borehole to provide an alternative water source but it only functioned for about three months and the water depleted.
Mimosa came in December last year and started the construction of a toilet block for the public which was completed around February but is yet to be opened because there is no water to supply to the facility.
“They also surveyed and sunk a borehole but could not find the water, probably because of the mining activities underground, and as it stands the passport office serves at least 70 people per day, who have no access to ablution facilities.
“The building relies on tap water which is only accessed during the early hours of the day in most cases,” said a source.
Efforts to get a comment from MIMOSA’s Communications Department on whether it was true that they failed to get water and what was the way forward were futile as the department said they would engage the reporter early next week with an update.
Concerted efforts to get a comment from Zvishavane Town Council Chairperson Takarangana Keta were also futile as his cell went unanswered.
