Other areas
affected include Glen Lorne, Highlands, Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Warren Park,
Glen View, Masasa, Glen Norah and Dzivarasekwa. Hatfield has gone for the
last one week and some days with no drop of water while Mount Pleasant and
Northwood has only had about 6 days of water in the last six months and has
no water at all over the last 4 weeks. With no ZESA residents can’t use
boreholes and are paying the Zim $ equivalent of +- 80 US dollars for a drop
of 5000 litres of water.
While the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) is failing to restore
water supplies to these areas, the authority is surprisingly failing to fix
water pipes where water is gushing out; particularly in most parts of
Kuwadzana and the Central Business District. Meanwhile the Mayor and
Chairperson for the Harare city council Mr Muchadei Masunda has expressed
his view that water supply management must be brought back to the city
council so that ZINWA will concentrate on bulk water management only. His
Chitungwiza counterpart Mayor Israel Marange expressed the same sentiments.
CHRA has for a long time been fighting the ZINWA take over on the basis that
ZINWA lacks adequate technical capacity to manage water supply. CHRA hinted
this week on a possible water bills payment boycott by residents; should the
situation continue like this. In the past, CHRA mobilized residents to
boycott rates payment to the illegal commissions appointed by the Minister
of Local Government to run the city of Harare. Meanwhile CHRA urges the city
council to intensify efforts to reclaim water supply management in the
interests of saving lives.
Electricity supply
Electricity supply remains erratic, with most suburbs spending few hours
with electricity per day. On average, suburbs like Warren Park, Mufakose,
Glen View, Glen Norah, Highlands and Dzivarasekwa were getting electricity
for not more than 2 hours. Please note that the length of the day for
electricity usage is calculated from 0700hrs to 2000hrs. Residents of
Shingai court in the Avenues went through their 4th week in darkness.
Meanwhile another ZESA substation was engulfed by fire in Warren Park D,
plunging parts of the suburb into darkness. ZESA Public Relations manager
said that the return of electricity supply will depend on the availability
of foreign currency. Harare has been gripped by a sudden wave of burning
transformers, which ZESA puts the blame on vandals who are draining
transformer oil. Mount Pleasant has been without ZESA supply since Thursday
last week. There was brief resumption on Sunday night for 12 hours and then
gone. CHRA urges the residents to desist from this kind of criminal behavior
and be wary of criminal elements who are damaging the electricity
transformers. Residents have a duty to report such cases of vandalism to
ZESA or the police. However, the Association calls upon ZESA to be
innovative enough to find security solutions to this problem. CHRA
reiterates that ZESA cannot sit back and blame the situation on vandalism,
while the innocent residents suffer continuously. CHRA will soon be
mobilizing its wide membership for some popular action with regards to ZESA
problems.
Sewer and waste management
Sewer spillages continue to characterize the face of most of the residential
suburbs. Raw sewage is a common sight in Mufakose, Mabvuku, Tafara,
Highfields (Canaan Engineering), Glen Norah and Dzivarasekwa. Residents in
Mabvuku have resorted to digging drainage trenches across their yards to
avoid raw sewage from spilling into their homes. CHRA mourns the state’s
decision to ban NGO and civic society organization’s activities. Before the
ban, CHRA was carrying out popular action campaigns which would see
residents teaming up to engage in some kind of waste management activities.
In Mbare the Association did a lot of work around refuse collection and
sewer management. CHRA provided cleaning materials, detergents and
protective clothing for the cleaning of Matapi flats. The Association urges
the council to engage ZINWA and find a lasting solution to the sewer
problems.
Road maintenance
Pot holes, now commonly referred to as ‘craters’ because of their deep
nature, have established themselves as permanent features on Harare’s most
roads. Deep potholes are found in most roads in Highfields (Canaan
Engineering), Mufakose, Kambuzuma and Mabvuku. According to our reports, the
council has not yet started any work to repair the roads. Whilst CHRA
appreciates that the council inherited a ‘dead’ municipality from Chombo’s
(Minister of Local government)Â illegal and corrupt commissions, we urge the
council to commence the road maintenance program and save the motorists from
the nightmare they continue to experience as they drive on the roads. Roads
are the face of the city; therefore to improve the roads is to improve the
image of the city. CHRA has in the past implemented some road maintenance
programs, and therefore stands ready to partner with the council to repair
our roads.
Housing and Shelter
A survey recently carried out by CHRA reveals that accommodation in most of
the low to medium density suburbs is now being charged in United State
dollars, while for the high density areas, landlords are charging in South
African Rand. In areas like Warren Park and Mufakose, a single room is going
for 100 Rands, while in places like Avondale and Highlands landlords are
charging USD100 per room per month. Landlords argue that, they cannot charge
rentals in local currency, whose value is seriously eroded by inflation on a
daily basis. Meanwhile, forex remains difficult to access for most of the
lodgers whose monthly income earnings are well below the poverty datum line.
A group of 11 families is currently sleeping in the open along Airport road,
after being evicted. The families are failing to find alternative
accommodation as a result of the rentals being charged in forex.
Although the economic crisis is the immediate force behind the charging of
rentals in forex, CHRA notes that Operation Murambatsvina/Restore order left
more residents homeless, as most of their homes were demolished. The
operation also destroyed backyard structures, which for a long time had been
accommodating thousands of residents who are now homeless. The Government is
still failing to provide accommodation for the survivors of this notorious
operation. The increased demand for accommodation, boosted by the state
sponsored Operation Murambatsvina, has exacerbated the plight of the lodgers
and low income earners. CHRA calls upon the state to come up with immediate
measures that cushion the residents against the disastrous effects of
Operation Murambatsvina. The Ministry of Local Government must provide
direct loans to Local Authorities ear marked for housing development. CHRA
demands that the state must be responsible for its irresponsible yet cruel
actions like Operation Murambatsvina.
The Bread basket
The economic crisis continues to deepen with no sign of recovery at all.
Prices for basic goods were increasing by 500% per day last week. This week,
prices for most of the basic goods have been going up at 800% per day. For
instance, a 10kg of mealie meal was going for zw$600 billion as at Saturday
19 July 2008, but on Monday it shot up to zw$1, 08 trillion, before it shot
up to zw$1, 9 trillion the following day.
With effect from this last week, most residents, who are lodgers, were
grappling with their rentals. Owing to inflation, most landlords are now
charging rentals in foreign currency. According to a survey carried out by
CHRA recently, accommodation in high to medium density suburbs is charged in
South African Rand, while in low densities, charges are made in United
States Dollars. For instance, most landlords in areas like Warren Park and
Budiriro charge R100 per room per month, while in Highlands, Hillside and
Borrowdale a room ranges from USD100 to USD200 per month. Given that monthly
income earnings for most residents fall far short of the poverty datum line,
the charging of rentals in forex and the rising inflation continues to put
the cost of living beyond the affordability of the residents. The table
below shows the cost of living for an average family of six in Harare, for
the previous week (13-19 July 2008)Â and last week; 20-26 July 2008.
 Goods/ServicePrice (ZW$)Price (ZW$)
110 kg Mealie meal600 billion 2,8 trillion
2750ml Cooking oil300 billion    1,2 trillion
3200g Salt100 billion 350 billion
46 kgs Economy Beef @ $900/kg billion (up from $500/kg the previous week)3
trillion 5,4 trilion
5Transport per week @ 80 billion ( up from 40 billion the previous week) per
person per trip, where 1 person works in town, and 3 children commute to
school, 5 days a week1, 680 trillion3,840 trillion
64 loaves of bread @ 300billion(up from $100 billion the previous week) per
loaf x 7 days2, 800 trillion 8,4 trillion
72 kg sugar250 billion640 billion
830g Tea bags100 billion 300 billion
9250g Butter200 billion 640 billion
106 litres of drink @ $1 trillion (up from $100 billion the previous week)
per 2litres600 billion 6 trillion
 Total9,630 trillion 29,57 trillion
The minimum wage remains at zw$100 billion yet an average family of six
people needed zw$29, 57 trillion to go through last week. The plight of the
residents is exacerbated by the fact that the maximum amount daily
withdrawal limit from the bank stands at zw$100 billion. This amount was not
even enough for the residents to commute to and from work, given that
commuter operators were charging zw$80 billion for a single trip by Friday
25 July 2008. The irresponsible and heartless Reserve Bank Governor Gideon
Gono remains deaf to the calls by the starving residents that the daily
maximum withdrawal limit of 100 billion does not make sense which ever way
one looks at it.
Meanwhile NGOs remain banned from distributing food relief to the starving
residents amid reports that the state is giving out aid to supporters of
ZANU PF only. There are also reports that even the majority of ZANU PF
supporters are not getting this aid as most of the goods are taken by the
chefs for sale at the black/parallel market. The so called “peoples’ shops”
started by ZANU PF during its election campaign appear to have been fast
blown away by inflation.
With transport and food costs rising unabated; residents, parents and
children are walking distances ranging from 15-20km to and from work and
school on empty stomachs.
The political atmosphere
Despite the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the MDC and
ZANU PF, the political environment in Harare and indeed across the nation
remains very tense. ZANU PF militia bases remain intact in Sunningdale,
Mufakose and in Dzivarasekwa. Public gatherings remain banned while ZANU PF
meetings are being held. CHRA recorded 12 acts of political intimidation of
civic society activists by suspected ZANU PF militia. The raids on the
vendors at Mbare Musika by the resident ZANU PF aligned group of thugs
called ‘Chipangano’ continues unabated.
Conclusion
Service delivery appears to b e fast collapsing every week in Harare. More
areas are running dry of water, while those which previously did not have
water remain dry. Reference is made to Mabvuku and Tafara which have gone
for 4 months now without water. Darkness is fast engulfing the city of
Harare as more and more substations are burning and ZESA is failing to find
a solution. Just like water supply, electricity supply continues to
deteriorate every week. As ZINWA battles wit water provision, raw sewage
continues to gush out in most suburbs. It is relieving to note that the city
council has begun to voice its concerns about the ZINWA take over. Other
city councils like Chitungwiza have echoed similar sentiments. CHRA expects
more action from the council, towards reclaiming the water supply management
from the failing ZINWA. On the political front, there is need for those
supervising the talks to dispatch teams that continuously assess the
situation on the ground, because the situation remains tense despite the
assurances by the state that there will be tolerance. NGOs and civic society
organizations remain banned, and so are public gatherings. Thus the
democratic space for the resident’s remains closed despite the signing of
the MOU.