Wanton vandalism of key infrastructure condemned

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has expressed serious concern over the rampant vandalism of key infrastructure at Epping Forest and Rochester aquifer in Nyamandlovu, which continues to negatively affect water supply in Bulawayo.

Due to periodic cable theft, the city’s water pumping capacity has drastically gone down to about three megalitres (ML) per day from the targeted 20ML per day.

This has also affected Bulawayo’s economic growth as industry heavily relies on water for production.

More than 60 000 Bulawayo residents including farmers, have been affected by theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure at Epping Forest and Rochester aquifer in Nyamandlovu resulting in the city pumping 3 megalitres (ML) per day from the targeted 20ML per day.

The Government, through the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), rehabilitated boreholes at Epping Forest and Rochester to improve Bulawayo’s water situation in 2020.

The aquifer is meant to complement Bulawayo’s supply dams, whose water levels have remained low. The Epping Forest boreholes were rehabilitated at a time when Bulawayo was experiencing its worst water crisis in the city’s modern history.

The water crisis resulted in the death of 14 residents in Luveve suburb due to diarrhoea- related illnesses. Vandalism of the electricity infrastructure has been described as a national security threat with urgent interventions being made.

Last week a ministerial delegation comprising Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Settlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka, Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda, Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister Ruth Maboyi and Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube toured the affected areas to assess the damage on the infrastructure.

In an interview on the sidelines of a National Development Strategy I (NDS1) workshop in Bulawayo yesterday, Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, said the President is concerned with the theft of cables and vandalism of infrastructure at Epping Forest and Rochester aquifer.

The site was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in February last year after Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) completed drilling of 20 boreholes.

“Last week we visited Epping Forest and what we saw was disheartening. Transformers are vandalised at an alarming rate. President Mnangagwa is worried about the rampant vandalism of energy infrastructure at Epping Forest in Nyamandlovu,” said Minister Ncube.

“We have set up committees to look into the matter. We are also engaging residents on how to solve this issue of vandalism.”

Minister Ncube the spate of vandalism also affects economic growth of the city, the region and the country as a whole.

She also implored residents to tap into their extensive networks to lure investors.

“As residents, I make an appeal to individually look for investors and install solar farms in Nyamandlovu to counter load shedding and vandalism. Let’s come up with solutions to rectify the challenges we are facing,” said Minister Ncube.

“It’s beyond an individual to solve this issue hence the call for all residents to be involved. You have strong networks that can be used to assist the city. We need solar farms so that when there is no electricity we will automatically switch to solar.”

While the Government’s intervention was effective as the city received up to 20ML from Nyamandlovu projects, vandals are reversing the gains that the city was enjoying

In August, Zinwa engaged four security guards to man the Epping Forest pump site 24 hours following a string of thefts targeting transformers and electricity copper cables.

Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has also temporarily suspended its 72-hour water shedding schedule due to water supply interruptions emanating from persistent power outages that has seen the council failing to pump enough water from its supply dams into the reservoirs.

Only the industrial site and the city’s central business district has been spared from the power cuts.

Prior to the latest development, BCC has been implementing a weekly 72-hour water shedding programme to preserve water.

Zimbabwe is presently facing acute power shortages which have seen consumers going for long hours, outside the normal load-shedding periods, without electricity.

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