The residents accused the Zanu (PF)-dominated Makonde Rural District council of mismanagement, corruption and failure to attend to their problems on time. A sewer bursting in the area, which saw some raw sewerage flowing in peoples homes, triggered the incident. Makonde Resident and Ratepayers Association spokesperson, Enisia Nyandoro, told The Zimbabwean*** that they dumped the raw sewage to spur the council into action. She said the problem of service delivery dated back to the early eighties and the council was reluctant to deal with the problem decisively.
The council is charging high rates but giving us a shoddy service. The problem has reached alarming levels and we now fear for our health, Nyandoro said in an interview. The residents have since approached the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare with a view of having the place disinfected. Residents said they would not pay rent until the council solved the sewer problem in the area. Chief Executive Officer Lashiwe Murefu acknowledged the problem. Its true that residents spilled some raw sewage in front of my office, she said, adding that the council would soon attend to the problems.