MATABELELAND South Senator Sithembile Mlotshwa says there is no political will on the part of the government to address Bulawayo’s water crisis.
Mlotshwa made the remarks during a Senate session last week as she bemoaned government’s failure to find a lasting solution to the city’s water challenges.
The city is in the midst of its worst water crisis in years, with Umzingwane and Upper Ncema dams already decommissioned.
Last month, the city decommissioned the second supply dam, Upper Ncema, after its water levels fell to 2,03% rendering it unusable and non-operational.
The city decommissioned Umzingwane Dam last year, when water levels fell to 2,14%.
This means Bulawayo is left with four supply dams — Insiza, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema and Mtshabezi, with the overall dam percentage as of October 2 this year being at 28,16%.
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Bulawayo City Council has expressed concern that late rains will see the local authority decommissioning more dams, plunging Bulawayo into a water crisis.
Mlotshwa said the region had always faced drought, adding that failure by the government to appreciate the water crisis exposed lack of political will.
She said the southern region was well known for being dry, but authorities had failed to develop infrastructure that preserved the little available water.
“The infrastructure development that we frequently read about in newspapers remains largely theoretical for many of our communities,” she said.
The Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, which was mooted several years ago as a lasting solution to the city’s water crisis, is way behind schedule.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration promised to ensure completion of the project ahead of the August 2023 elections. The deadline was moved to December this year, and now 2026.
Government has refused to declare Bulawayo a water crisis area to allow the local authority to mobilise resources to undertake short-to-medium-term projects to alleviate the water crisis.
“I suggest that the government should do equitable distribution of resources for the benefit of all the citizens. We must engage our communities, listen to their concerns and ensure that our policies not only address the symptoms of the challenge but also the root causes,” Mlotshwa said.
“Our minerals should be a source to uplift all citizens, yet reality is that they have become a catalyst for conflict and inequality."
She said the minerals in the southern region were not benefiting locals.
“We need to work together across party lines with the guidance of our citizens to forge a future where natural wealth is a unifying force that propels us towards prosperity,” she said.