South African border officials have requested emergency water supplies from the Beitbridge Municipality after their water pumps were washed away by the swollen Limpopo River on three separate occasions.
During a water crisis meeting held last Thursday, Beitbridge Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola told stakeholders that the council is exploring alternative revenue streams, as it is currently owed approximately US$80 million. Said Ramakgapola:
<blockquote>
Two officials from the South African border were in my office this week [last week] requesting that we restart supplying them with water. There is an existing pipeline we can bring back to life to supply. We badly need the revenue.
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He explained that, a few years ago, Beitbridge supplied water to the South African border post, a profitable arrangement that was discontinued once the border post became self-sufficient. Added Ramakgapola:
<blockquote>
But they lost three pumps washed away by the Limpopo (river) and their situation is desperate and we can bail them out as well as make some revenue for us.
The meeting held by the Beitbridge Municipality last Thursday sought ways to convince residents to settle bills amounting to around 43% of the US$80 million owed.
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Residents, who face erratic water supplies for at least three days each week, are reluctant to settle bills that constitute approximately 43% of the US$80 million owed to the local authority.
According to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200036931/sa-asks-for-water-from-zim">NewsDay</a>, a 20-litre container of water is sold for R2, while R100 can buy a household 1,000 litres of what has become a precious commodity in Beitbridge.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

South Africa asked Beitbridge Municipality for water because their pumps broke from the river. The municipality wants to sell water to South Africa to make money. They used to sell water before, but stopped when South Africa didn't need it. The municipality also wants residents to pay their bills to help with the money they owe. Residents don't want to pay because they don't always have water. A 20-liter container of water costs R2, while R100 can buy 1,000 liters. Water is becoming precious in Beitbridge.

Beitbridge Municipality To Sell Water To South Africa

The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) disconnected their raw water supply to Beitbridge town on Tuesday due to unpaid arrears of about US$196 000 (ZWG2 711 362.80).
In a letter, to the local authority, ZINWA said it could no longer meet its obligations to supply water until the municipality services its arrears. Reads the letter:
<blockquote>
ZINWA supplies bulk raw water to Beitbridge Municipality, which the council in turn treats and supplies to residents.
ZINWA pumps raw water from the Limpopo River into off-river storage dams, which then supply the municipality’s water treatment plants.
ZINWA incurs electricity, operations, and maintenance costs to keep supplies to Beitbridge, which should be covered by payments from the municipality.
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ZINWA said it bills the Beitbridge municipality an average of ZWG550,000 for their monthly bulk raw water requirements, but the local authority has only been making monthly payments averaging ZWG140 000. It said:
<blockquote>
This has resulted in outstanding bills accumulating to ZWG 2,711,362.80. Due to this unsustainable payment pattern by Beitbridge Municipality, ZINWA is no longer in a position to meet the obligations associated with the consistent supply of raw water to Beitbridge, including electricity and repairs and maintenance.
Hence, the authority has decided to disconnect water supplies to Beitbridge until the municipality services its arrears.
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Beitbridge Municipality Acting Town Clerk, Engineer Douglas Siphuma, confirmed the development to <a href="https://cite.org.zw/beitbridge-left-dry-as-zinwa-shuts-off-supply/">CITE</a>.
The local authority sent a circular to the residents, encouraging them to pay their dues so that the water may be reconnected. Said Siphuma:
<blockquote>
The Municipality of Beitbridge would like to advise residents and stakeholders that ZINWA has cut bulk water supply to the entire town. Please note that the water supply interruption affects the whole town.
The municipality, through previous correspondences, has continually encouraged residents and stakeholders to honour and pay their debts.
It is unfortunate that despite concerted efforts to offer support systems like payment plans and enforcement of water disconnections, the payments have not reached the minimum threshold required to meet the debt.
While the municipality is engaging ZINWA to seek a lasting solution, residents and stakeholders are urged to make serious efforts to pay for water debts.
The community is further advised to make use of the available boreholes and use water sparingly.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s urban dwellers face several challenges that make it difficult for them to pay municipal bills.
Many urban residents rely on informal employment, which is often unstable and poorly paid. This makes it difficult for them to afford regular expenses, including municipal bills.
Furthermore, there are frequent disruptions in essential services like water and electricity. Residents are often reluctant to pay for services that are unreliable or of poor quality.
The hight cost of municipal services relative to the average income of urban dwellers makes it hard for them to keep up with their bills.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

ZINWA, the water authority, stopped giving water to Beitbridge because the town owes a lot of money. The town only paid a little of what they owed. Now, the town has no water until they pay their debt. The town is asking people to pay what they owe so they can get water again. This is a problem for many people in Zimbabwe who struggle to pay their bills because they don't make much money. There are also issues with the quality of services provided by the municipality.

ZINWA Cuts Off Beitbridge's Water Supply Over Unpaid Arrears

Beitbridge municipality has pledged to provide land for the construction of police bases in its fast-growing residential suburbs.
Speaking in an interview with <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local/article/200021375/beitbridge-offers-land-for-police-bases">Southern Eye</a>, Beitbridge Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola said that this was part of the local authority’s contribution towards fighting crime in the border town. Said Ramakgapola:
<blockquote>
We will provide land and even contribute towards the building of those bases.
We are at the moment discussing with our stakeholders what contribution they can make towards this noble cause.
We should have proper bases complete with ablution facilities. We plan to have bases with at least five rooms and we appeal to willing community members to donate towards this cause.
It should be the concern of any local authority when its residents fall prey to crime and we have noted with concern several incidents of armed robberies in Kwalu suburb and other areas.
If we have bases there, it will have an impact on police presence and patrols.
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Armed robbers have reportedly been terrorising residents of Kwalu suburb, also known as SDP.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) last week said resource constraints were hampering efforts to combat runaway crime.
Police blamed darkness for the high crime rate in Kwalu as the area is not connected to the electricity grid.
In October 2023, the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe expressed concern over the lack of adequate resources for the ZRP.
Essential resources that were said to be in short supply include vehicles which are crucial for patrolling, responding to emergencies, and maintaining law and order, fuel, and proper equipment, communication devices, and protective gear which are vital for effective policing
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Beitbridge Municipality Offers Land For Police Bases

The Environment Management Agency has taken Beitbridge Town Council to court over continuous sewer pollution especially in high-density suburbs, The Herald reports.
According to the publication:
<blockquote>EMA’s District Environmental Officer, Mrs Nomphumelelo Chigwinya said the agency has been issuing orders to the municipality since 2016 over the continued pollution related to sewer.</blockquote>
Beitbridge’s Tshitaudze suburb and Kwalu 1 are among the hardest hit suburbs where sewer streams flow in the streets, according to the publication.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/just-in-ema-sues-beitbridge-municipality/">The Herald </a>

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