Story by Providence Maraneli
THE government has called for an expeditious resolution of the standoff between ZESA holdings and Gwanda Municipality which has resulted in the mining town going for days without water after the power company switched off their water treatment plant.
With the nation battling the cholera outbreak, fear has gripped the mining town of Gwanda after ZESA switched off the Gwanda water treatment plant following a protracted standoff over non-payment of service by the local authority.
This has culminated in the town going for days without water, and residents are now resorting to unsafe water sources.
However, all hope is not lost after the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka intervened, calling on the warring parties to expeditiously resolve the impasse.
“There was a long-standing impasse between ZINWA and the municipality and we resolved it last year by handing over water to the local authority now I am told that they have been switched off from ZESA and I have called all the parties to expeditiously solve their misunderstanding, because people come first,” said minister Masuka.
The municipality of Gwanda owes the power company ZWL$260 million.
