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By Richard Kawazi
Bindura residents are bitter with the town’s municipality managers amid continued poor service delivery and a severe water crisis bedeviling the town since January.
This was exposed during yesterday’s online meeting conducted through the Bindura Residents WhatsApp group.
The platform is administered by Joel Mandundu chairperson of the Residents Association of Bindura.
Mandundu ignited the residents’ emotions when he sought their views over who was to blame between the authority’s managers and councillors for the current poor water provisions.
This month residents in the upper part of Chiwaridzo up to Chipadze Secondary School have not yet received running tap water. Council authorities are mum over the issue while showing no immediate action.
The council is accused of cutting off supplies to the most populated suburb of Chipadze’s “Ma1 area” where tens of residents residents share community toilets and water points.
According to residents in the area, the block toilets are now a “no go area” as maggots are now all over the place raising health fears.
This has left some residents reportedly taking the Nicodemus task of defecating along public pathways as the situation in ablution facilities is unbearable.
“Some people are taking advantage of darkness over night and are defecating along pathways because they can’t afford to be in the toilets.
One has to be very careful now when walking in this neighbourhood, failure to do so is tantamount to disaster, you can step over fresh and raw waste,” a resident told Nhau/Indaba.
Residents are very apoplectic with the council. Below are some of their comments relating to the issue:
@ Madam Vimbai:
“I blame the town management. How come some areas kumwe mvura inobuda kumwe haibude, fairness should exist. Kana mvura yabuda ku Aerodrome munhu wese ngaawane mvura also kuChipadze and every where else”
@ Emmie expressed her concerns and echoed the sentiments of favoritism and demanded equality for all residents
“Tirikudawo meeting with the entire crew yekukanzuru yacho neve town vese vatiwudze kuti zvirikufambasei. Takawona zvakawoma we will disconnect mvura zvachose toshandisa matsime” she said.
She was supported by Nyamutsita J who said “Mwari chaivo muridzi wemvura wano nayisa mvura kunzvimbo dzose kunesu vatadzi pamwe neva tsvene”
However, Bindura Residents Association chairman Danny Tumozo said the authority must uphold its obligations while residents should religiously comply by paying rates.
He said without this there will be no possible way to reach a common ground for the situation to improve.
“Our founding creed has always been that obligations come first before claiming rights. Before as residents we seek to claim our right to access and be provided with clean water in its natural state, we should be mindful of the fact we have a duty to pay dues and arrears that are owing to the Municipality so that it continues to supply our homes with portable water regularly.
“On the other hand, management at the Bindura Municipality before it claims its right to be paid what it is owed by residents, it has an obligation to regularly provide services tht are deserving to the rate payers.
“If the rights and obligations pixel is balanced, it is more likely that rate of defaulting by residents will be greatly reduced,” he said.
“However, residents across the suburbs seem to have a perception that the council is shortchanging them, considering that some services billed by the council are not available such as fire tenders and street lighting. It is such loss of trust in council processes that affects payment of bills by residents,” he said.
Tumuzo said authorities should note that Chipadze needs water considering how busy the area is with human activities and the number of households that are concentrated over a limited piece of land.
“Disconnecting water supply is a time bomb in the making, in terms of health hazards.
“However, it is not fair also to our Bindura Municipality, if it fails to collect its dues which, without doubt, have plummeted into millions.
In the spirit of engagement, we highly encourage the council and the residents to find a common ground that is mutually beneficial to both parties. Councillors also have a big role to play in that regard to keep their constituency updated on such matters,” he said.
Efforts to get comments from the Municipality were unsuccessful. Nhau/Indaba
