For Ms Bianca Sibanda, a mother of two, life without enough water was a big challenge as she was forced to walk at least 12km daily to two sources of water for her family.
She stays in Tununu Village, in Ward 8, Vungu Constituency, 34km from Gweru. The village is under Headman Nkani in Chief Mkoba’s area.
Villagers were facing perennial water shortage since the breaking down of a borehole they relied on in early 2000.
Either direction — she walked plus or minus six kilometres balancing a 20-litre bucket of water on her head.
When her neighbours’ wheelbarrow was free, Ms Sibanda would borrow it to move four 20-litre buckets of water.
As a result of the shortage, resolved recently after a local benefactor drilled a new borehole, they are now used to using the water sparingly. They had no luxury of bathing as often as they wanted, she said.
“It’s tiresome, I tell you,” said Ms Sibanda, reflecting on having to fetch water from distant sources.
Gweru River which could have been a source for drinking water has over the years been polluted by raw effluent that was being discharged into it by Gweru City Council (GCC).
While the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) Midlands provincial spokesperson Mr Osward Ndlovu said from January to date, they haven’t fined GCC for discharging raw effluent into the river — years of pollution were still being felt by villagers down in Lower Gweru.
“Pollution takes time to clear and that is why we fine or take litigation routes when local authorities dump effluent into water bodies. Now we still have villagers downstream who are still feeling the impact of pollution,” he said.
Zanu-PF Gweru District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) chairperson Cde Brown Ndlovu — riding under the Second Republic’s socio-economic development agenda in line with Vision 2030, funded the drilling of a borehole at Tununu Village.
Already, Cde Ndlovu has funded the drilling of more boreholes in Ward 12 at Nyambango Primary School in Chiwundura, Mandingingi Village in Ward 14 and Nhlangano Secondary School.
He has sourced a water pump for villagers in Ward 9 and the new borehole at Tununu Village in Lower Gweru.
Cde Ndlovu said President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 is possible if villagers have enough water from nearby sources to start projects.
“Water is life and with water villagers can venture into market gardens, they can start poultry projects and feed their livestock among other projects. As Gweru District DCC chairperson, I felt I should push the Government agenda in socio-economic development in the small way that I can. The Government is doing big projects and here I am impacting in a small way I can,” said Cde Ndlovu who was born in Tununu Village.
He said with mining activities taking shape in Lower Gweru and Chiwundura, the villagers will have ready markets for their fresh produce and poultry among other projects they can undertake using readily available water.
“It’s all about empowering the members of the community just like what the Government under President Mnangagwa is doing at a national level,” he said.
Headman Nkani said the borehole was drilled at a time when they were facing severe water challenges.
“Our people were in trouble over water. Water in Gweru river is polluted, going to Siphosami shops is far and life has been difficult for our villagers,” said the traditional leader.
Headman Nkani commended President Mnangagwa and the ruling party for putting in leadership positions people like Cde Ndlovu who assist their people without waiting for the Government.
| Gweru Borehole Project Benefits Villagers |
Ndlovu saw our plight and is acting at local level. At the national level President Mnangagwa is also doing great things. We are so happy about this day, Viva Zanu-PF,” said an elated Headman Nkani.
Gweru DCC Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Victor Maride said about 650 villagers from Tununu, Mcedisi and Nkani villages will benefit from the borehole project.
Cde Maride said Zanu-PF was fulfilling its election promises of improving people’s livelihoods.
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