Mnangagwa to make sure that local authorities are functional regardless of who controls them

While water bodies can be provided to potentially meet clean water requirements for our cities, it has become apparent that such a goal remains a pie in the sky until our local authorities are properly and efficiently run. Water supply crises in most of our urban settlements are not explained by the absence of water bodies; rather, they are explained by water conveyancing systems which are either non-existent, inadequate, inefficient, obsolete and decrepit.

The same goes for uncollected garbage and broken sewer systems. In the absence of a drastic renovation of all our local authorities in the country, Zimbabwe will continue to suffer periodic outbreaks of preventable diseases, in spite of her many unused water bodies.

We are completing Gwayi-Shangani Lake; we have started building Kunzvi Dam. Both require efficient, honest municipalities for benefits of such massive water investments to reach each household. Our dysfunctional local authorities have defeated our professed goal of ensuring no one and no community is left behind.

I am happy that the Ministry of Local Government and Public Work is now seized with this challenge of ensuring all our local authorities, regardless of who controls them, become functional and responsive to the public health needs of residents. We have lost enough lives already to hefty public health failures, which could have been prevented by the provision of efficient services and amenities. Government will not hesitate to intervene where local authorities show lacklustre performance, thus endangering our people.

I am very happy that research on water- treatment chemicals at one of our applied research-driven universities has made a breakthrough. Bindura University of Science Education is already producing chemicals for water treatment, thus guaranteeing clean and safe water supply to all our urban and rural settlements. Repeated outbreaks of cholera give our country a negative global profile, thus discouraging and undermining our tourism.

I have already noted the growing urbanisation of our rural areas. This inevitable thrust must now be underpinned by a rapid development of rural infrastructure which guarantee clean and safe water supply, and, of course, an adequate and efficient reticulation system that meets emerging needs of these new settlements. The borehole drilling rigs we have acquired for our water authority, ZINWA, and the ongoing building of more dams, should ensure these burgeoning settlements grow matched and supported.

I am happy that part of devolution funds allocated to provincial authorities have been channelled towards the construction of more clinics and health centres. The impact of all this is already telling. We have been able to contain latest outbreaks of cholera faster than we were able to do in 2008 and 2018.

The desired end state is where outbreaks are prevented altogether, as more and more of our communities gain access to modern amenities and facilities. Only that way can we boast real, tangible strides towards Vision 2030.

By President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the Sunday Mail

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