Staff Reporter
Redcliff residents are enduring prolonged water shortages, with some households reportedly receiving municipal water as infrequently as once every three months, forcing them to rely on boreholes and expensive water supplies from private sources.
The crisis has also left some residents questioning whether they should continue paying municipal bills amid concerns over the local authority’s failure to provide a reliable water supply.
During a full council meeting at the Redcliff Municipality Civic Centre about three months ago, municipal finance director Lindiwe Hwata said the local authority owed Kwekwe City Council approximately US$5.5 million for bulk water supplies, with low revenue collection undermining its ability to settle the debt.
A Torwood resident, who requested anonymity, said her community had endured water shortages for years, with residents relying on a borehole donated by the Matorino who was giving back to his childhood community in 2013 or buying water from households with private boreholes.
She said the situation recently worsened for residents in T Section after the local borehole committee announced that people would no longer be allowed to draw water without paying a US$2 maintenance fee.
While acknowledging the importance of contributions towards maintaining the borehole, she questioned the short notice given to residents, saying it left some households struggling to access water.
“Recently, some residents faced a severe water crisis after the T Section borehole committee announced on a WhatsApp group at 8.42pm that, from 6am the following morning, people would not be allowed to fetch water without paying the US$2 fee,” she said.
She added that the short notice disadvantaged residents without smartphones and those who could not immediately raise the money.
The resident said many households in Torwood relied on informal work to survive following the closure of the former Ziscosteel operations in 2009, making it difficult for some families to meet additional costs.
An elderly resident, who identified himself as Ndhlovu, said the community had lost confidence in the municipality’s ability to resolve the water crisis.
He said some residents had resorted to buying water despite the cost, while others depended on donated boreholes to meet their daily needs.
Redcliff Mayor Cllr Vincent Masiiwa has previously said the municipality was planning to construct its own water treatment plant to improve supplies and reduce the town’s longstanding dependence on bulk water from Kwekwe.
However, residents continue to face challenges accessing reliable and affordable water as they await a lasting solution to
the crisis.
