Residents outraged as Harare starts disconnecting water

Residents, who have refused to settle their bills in the absence of services, reacted with anger when they started receiving the final letters of demand from the local authority. According to one of the letters sent to a Highlands resident, who owes US$131, the council warned that failure to pay within seven days would result in ‘legal
action being effected without further warning to you, with costs charged to your account.’ It’s understood in total more than US$20 million in unpaid water bills is outstanding.

But the city services have been dismal and the council has not even collected refuse in many parts of the city for years, saying it could not repair the broken down equipment that it uses. At the same time, areas such as Hatcliffe, Orange Grove, Greendale, Vainona, parts of Mabelreign and Goodhope, Mabvuku, Tafara and suburbs in satellite towns of Chitungwiza, Norton and Ruwa have not received water for very long periods. Budiriro residents have not had water for almost a year.

Last year, poor water and sewerage systems led to a massive cholera outbreak in various parts of the country, including Chitungwiza, which eventually became the epicentre of an epidemic that claimed thousands of lives.

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has previously spoken out
in defence of the city’s residents, who said they would fight back because of the city’s dismal service delivery record. CHRA Chief Executive Farai Barnabas Mangodza explained on Tuesday that most residents are justified in not paying their bills, saying the bills ‘are exorbitant and do not reflect the level of service in the city.’ He expressed anger that the city has the manpower to physically disconnect water services, ‘but they claim they don’t have enough manpower to collect the refuse or other services.’

“Are they after money or are they actually after providing real services?”
Mangodza asked, and added: “Most residents are prepared to go to court to
find out.”