AWARD-WINNING comedian Ntandoyenkosi Moyo has criticised the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) for its prolonged water shedding in the midst of a cholera outbreak in the country.
The city is experiencing an acute water crisis which has been worsened by power cuts.
Council is implementing a water provision strategy which means that no suburb is guaranteed supplies at any given day. The local authority provides water depending on the capacity in its reservoirs.
The council says challenges such as system failures among others were crippling its capacity to quench the thirst of residents who are going for several days without water.
In a 53 second skit, Moyo questioned the city fathers for the continued water shedding and also their failure to provide enough and affordable public toilets in the city centre.
Disguised as calling the city council, Moyo said: "In Cowdry Park we have endured water shedding for weeks and we can't use our toilets.
"We have decided to come to town and relieve ourselves in town, but the public toilets there are very few, dirty and are expensive. Why do you charge us for water and sewer every month when we hardly use those services," said Moyo in the skit.
In one urgent water crisis committee meeting, council's acting director of engineering Sikhumbuzo Ncube said council was battling systems failures, breakdowns of pumps and electrical equipment, water pipe bursts while rolling power outages as well as the poor performance of the economy were another headache.
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"On bulk delivery conveyance bottle necks-BCC cannot abstract maximum water from the dams due to pipeline infrastructure constraints at Insiza, Inyankuni and Mtshabezi dams," Ncube said.
"Perennial droughts (resulting in constantly declining dam levels each year) and floods (now rarely), and there is lack of drought resilient infrastructure to avert such catastrophes.
“Economic challenges – Spares are not readily available locally to cater for emergencies and if available are sold in USD or cash on delivery basis."
The city has, however, had water woes for decades and its salvation has always been placed on the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, an ambitious project to pipe water from the mighty Zambezi River, 452 kilometres away to Bulawayo. The project is underway. The initiative was mooted in 1912, but had been abandoned by successive governments due to the high costs involved.
