City seeks US$200 million to replace ageing water pipes

By Ndumiso Tshuma

Ward 10 Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu, the chairperson of Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee, said the city’s water system is outdated and urgently requires replacement.

“As we celebrate 131 years (since Bulawayo was declared a town), we must ask how these pipes have remained underground for so long. They are now old and failing. To fully address this problem, we are seeking US$200 million to overhaul Bulawayo’s entire pipe system,” Ndlovu told a full council meeting on Wednesday last week.

Ndlovu also noted that the city is also facing power shortages that are disrupting water pumping. However, some support has been received to ease the electricity crisis.

“We are dealing with both a pipe problem and an electricity problem to secure water supply. On the electricity front, VEI has provided solar panels, which are currently in storage. We just need to install them to help solve the power issue,” he said.

Ndlovu added that while efforts were being made to improve water distribution across the city, the deteriorating condition of the pipes remained a significant obstacle.

“At our last meeting in May, we agreed to open water supply in certain areas. But the problem with the pipes persists. In the past two weeks, this has caused serious difficulties, especially in the western suburbs. We could not provide as much water as needed because we had to replace a burst pipe,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu also stressed the importance of local leaders managing public expectations realistically.

“Our role as councillors is to serve as a bridge between residents and the council, and we must be honest in that role. When residents demand things that are not feasible, we need to advise them truthfully. We should tell them what can and cannot be done. The time for excuses is over. We must now focus on what is achievable, including pursuing public-private partnerships and build-operate-transfer projects, because the council does not have sufficient resources,” he said.