Rumbidzai Mbewe, Sunday News Correspondent
IN a monumental development marking the end of decades-long hardship, residents of Jahunda suburb in Gwanda, Matabeleland South Province, are on the brink of a transformative change as they prepare to access water directly from their home taps.
This comes as a result of a local initiative led by the Gwanda Local Peace Committee, signalling a long-awaited triumph over the enduring challenges of communal taps and toilets that have defined the community’s struggle for basic amenities, exposing them to water-borne diseases like cholera.
Despite exposing the residents to diseases, the Gwanda Local Peace Committee noted that the communal taps and toilets were brewing conflicts among the residents.
In an interview, the Gwanda Local Peace Committee co-ordinator, Reverend Sipho Mizha, revealed that conflicts arose due to the billing of the communal taps.
He said residents were getting different bills but were not sure how the council came up with those bills.
“Some households would receive higher bills compared to others and the question from the residents was on how the council came up with these consumption rates since everyone was using the same tap,” he said.
Following such conflicts, the LPC engaged the community and local authorities on how those conflicts could be resolved.
They also advocated for the installation of individual taps so that bills were based on household consumption, not estimates.
“Despite our intervention, there are some individuals who still do not have individual taps because they cannot afford the installation costs hence, they are using the communal taps,” he said.
Gwanda’s ward four councillor, Wellington Nare acknowledged the work of the LPC in advocating for the separation of water taps.
He said they have so far installed 10 individual taps and expressed hope that more people will come forward for the installation of their water taps.
“So far, a total of 10 taps have been installed. The requirement is that people come and register with the council and clear their debts for the tap to be installed. We are also working on getting more land to build more houses for people in this area,” said Clr Nare.
Jahunda toilet
Besides the use of the communal water tap by the Jahunda residents, approximately 68 households also use a communal toilet.
Litter, stagnant sewage water and the dilapidated toilet building make up the communal toilet.
Inside, the toilets have no cisterns and some of the seats are broken and have no proper flushing and drainage system.
Clr Nare said a health hazard was looming in the suburb, at a time when the country is battling the cholera outbreak.
“For more than 30 years, the community has been using this toilet and without anyone maintaining it. It is not easy to maintain these toilets because they are used by a lot of people. There is no ownership hence it not being maintained,” he said.
Clr Nare said the council has resolved that they will borrow 30 stands from land developers and develop them into houses that will cater to people in Jahunda, so that they can also live in a clean environment.
“We want our people to live in clean and safe environments. The new houses that will be developed will have toilets and taps to avoid the situation that is currently prevailing here,” he said.
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