COMBINED HARARE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

l: chrainfo@zol.co.zw
Website: www.chra.co.zw
The Zanu (PF) government, whose insatiable desire is to reap where it did not sow, has imposed the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) on uninformed Harare residents. It is a pity that the introduction of ZINWA was initially welcomed by overzealous women from the political structures of the ruling party in Mabvuku and Tafara.
These women were caught on national television in May 2005 expressing relief that the government through ZINWA had finally come to the rescue of residents, long suffering from acute shortages of water.
Little did they know that the same ZINWA they were celebrating was actually sheep in wolf’s clothing.
CHRA, from the onset was adamant that the intervention of the government was ill-advised and projected it would bring more chaos to the issues of water administration and supply.
Today, residents are being forced to pay huge water bills directly to the City of Harare, and not to ZINWA. Yet it is clear that the government has given full authority to the water authority to set the prices of water for all users.
The irony of the whole arrangement is that ZINWA has been given this role without the approval of Harare residents. Obviously the government is eyeing the municipal water infrastructure without paying a single dollar towards the hostile and illegal takeover of residents’ infrastructure.
The system governing the supply of water in Harare today and in any other local authority leaves a lot to be desired. An illegal commission that is only accountable to the government through the vindictive Ignatius Chombo runs Harare. That leaves residents with this key problem of getting things moving.
There is no way that CHRA or residents for that matter, to approach ZINWA to say the water bills are just unaffordable. Rather, we will deal with the City of Harare, which in this case is totally powerless to determine how much residents should pay. The municipality will not stand for the residents because the commission is an imposed one while ZINWA is a statutory body with the full backing of the law. But the water body has no institutional structures to deal directly with Harare residents except through its public relations department, which issues statements making corrections or announcing places where there would be water cuts.
What CHRA has been saying and still maintains is that ZINWA has no business in Harare’s water issues.
Presently, to raise awareness on the chaotic nature of water administration in Harare, CHRA will continue to hold public meetings in wards. This is meant to ensure that all residents understand how their water bills are being manipulated by ZINWA and the City of Harare to further their goals of stealing from residents.
It is hoped that by the time the awareness campaigns are done with residents of Harare will rise from their slumber and say enough is enough!