Bulawayo Water Crisis – A Crisis
of Leadership and Water Governance
Dumisani O Nkomo
The water crisis in Bulawayo
epitomized by water rationing , cutting of
water supplies and challenges of quality
of water in places such as Luveve culminating in a number of deaths is not a
new phenomenon. I would like to argue that the Bulawayo water crisis is not
just a crisis of lack of water but more importantly a crisis of leadership and
a governance deficit at local and national level. The shortage of water has
bedevilled the city since it established in the 19 th century and the fact that
Bulawayo is situated in natural region 4 means
availability of water will always be a challenge as rainfall is scarce and erratic in this
region . Absence of regular rains is never an accident but rather more of a permanent condition demanding permanent
solutions .
History and Background
Bulawayo’s water problems date
back to when the British South Africa Company had jurisdiction over the country
and indeed Bulawayo. Whether that jurisdiction was obtained legally or not
morally or not is not the subject or object of this article.
In 1898 the British South Africa Company granted the Bulawayo Waterworks
Company the authority to supply the town of Bulawayo with water and electricity
on a commercial basis . The ability of
the water works company to meet the water needs of the growing town was
severely constrained even after the company constructed Hillside Dams in 1898.
Residents of Bulawayo regularly complained about the water works company’s
inability to supply clean and regular city for the then town . The Hillside
Dams was up to then the only supply dam for the city and in 1924 after a
protracted legal battle the Dams were handed over to the Bulawayo Town council after
a sum of 117 ,000pounds was paid to the Waterworks Company. The history of
different entities being in charge of water supply for the city is therefore
not new. To their credit colonial administrations built a number of other dams namely:
1928 – Kham Dam
1943 – Lower Ncema
1956 – Umzingwane is
1973- Upper Ncema
1973- Mayfair Dam [ Now Insiza Dam]
Shockingly colonial
administrations built more supply dams
for the city of Bulawayo than our own “post independent administration which
only built Mtshabezi Dam in the 1990 ‘s [ the dam’s pipe was only connected to
the city in 2013.
We can thus infer that there was
proper planning and allocation of resources in the pre independence era for whatever
reasons. The five supply dams which were built prior to independence were also
built by the local authority i.e the Bulawayo City Council. We can draw various
conclusions from this but it is clear from this that the advent of
centralization and monopolization of bulk water supply by the government of
Zimbabwe has occasioned paucity of new supply dams and sources for the city of Bulawayo.
There were however pre-existing conditions which enabled the council to have
both the will and capacity to build supply dams almost every fifteen years
whilst the ZINWA has built one new supply dam for the city in 40 years. Such
factors may include the vibrancy of the national economy and broad local
authority revenue base etc.
The Problem
The Bulawayo water crisis is by
nature multi-faceted and multi-dimensional but can be attributable to the
following:
1. Centralization
of bulk water supply
2. Poor
policy/ legislative frame framework linked to the point above
3. Lack
of political will from government
4. Misplaced
priorities in budgetary allocations
5. Failure
by local authority to provide leadership in distribution / billing of water
6. Failure
to develop an inclusive water governance framework at national and local level
which involves citizens and relevant stakeholders. This is not withstanding
that the ZINWA Act envisages the creation of local catchment councils.
Let me briefly
try and populate these assumptions which I argue are at the centre of our water conundrum
and quagmire that we find the city of Bulawayo immersed in.
Centralization
Centralization
of bulk water supply through the ZINWA Act was more of a poorly thought out
political strategy of social and political control rather than a prudent policy
to deliver services. The fact that government through its water flagship built
one dam[Mtshabezi ] over 40 years and the Bulawayo City Council built 5 dams is
abundant testimony of this.
It can be
argued that devolving of provision of water sources may cause administrative
inefficiencies but there is little empirical evidence to sustain this argument.
The
fundamental assumption though in local authorities being given the mandate to
take over bulk water supply is that town councils, city councils and rural
district councils have the requisite capacity to deliver on this mandate. It is
argued that this was possible previously because of the broad revenue base
which for example the Bulawayo City Council had and a more conducive economic environment.
I still argue that centralization especially of bulk water supply has been one
of the most monumental policy failures of government which has contributed to
the current water crisis. Centralization epitomizes water governance failure by
the government of Zimbabwe and exposes policy contradiction given the government’s posturing on Devolution
through its “Devolution and Decentralization
Policy” and importantly chapter section
264 of The Constitution.
2. There is
need to revisit the ZINWA Act and the Water Act to give expression to a policy
framework which prioritizes an inclusive policy and regulatory framework within
a devolved apparatus of local governance and service delivery.
3.The
government of Zimbabwe has spectacularly let down Bulawayo by persistently and
consistently failing to allocate adequate resources to address the cities long
term water needs.
The Gwayi -
Shangani dam which is expected to be the country’s third largest inland dam
after Tokwe Mukosi and Mutirikwi is still incomplete even though a cabinet
implementation matrix had envisaged that the dam would be completed at the end
of 2018. The government now says the dam will be completed in 2022. Whilst the
corona virus pandemic is a reasonable reason for this. The government’s tendency of shifting goalposts in issues of water for
Bulawayo has eroded public confidence in any pronouncement or announcement they
make about delivery of long term solutions
for the city .Who can forget the announcement by the authorities that
U.S 864 million had been secured for the Zambezi Water Project in 2012 from the
Export – Import Bank of China .The Gwayi – Shangani Dam and Pipeline to
Bulawayo were expected to be complete by 2018 according to Government reports
then .
Misplaced Priorities and
Marginalization
The founder of the Matabeleland
Zambezi water project the late Dr Dumiso Dabengwa and the late great economist
Dr Eric Bloch had argued that the Zambezi Water Project could be funded with
little donor or government funding. The Zambezi water Project Trust sought to
solicit a mining concession from the
government to fund the water project. To cut a long story short the Trust was
not granted that concession and funding for the project was sabotaged systematically.
Local Authority
The Bulawayo City Council has
historically excelled in managing scarce water resources through a cocktail of
measures premised on long term planning, stewardship and a reasonable billing regime.
Lately the council seems to be struggling in this regard and when the Luveve
water crisis which claimed the lives of a number of people broke out the
council regrettably did not provide leadership by at least apologizing or
taking responsibility. This was a very poor demonstration of leadership.
Leadership is premised on the fundamentals of vision, planning, acceptance of responsibility,
servanthood and ability to community vision or challenges in a non-patronizing manner.
The residents of Bulawayo are aware
that the council is hamstrung by shortage of foreign currency and is wallowing
in a financial quagmire accentuated by struggling residents who are failing to
pay bills. What is required is for the council to step up and provide
leadership on the water issue and not be troglodytes that back off from responsibility.
Council must clearly articulate the importance of water for the development of
the city and paint a picture of the Bulawayo that they and the residents are co
creating. A clearly defined and communicated vision will inspire residents to
realise that paying bills is part of the bigger picture of a better Bulawayo.
The council needs to move away from a seemingly morose, taciturn and punitive
manner of always placing residents at the centre of the failure to deliver
services due to failure to pay bills .
The interaction of the council with ratepayers must not begin and end with cutting
of water to residents or letters of demand and slashing of maize but should
move to that of partnership, co creation and co ownership which requires shared
responsibilities, rights and obligations by all .
Having said this there needs to
be leadership at national and local level in terms of the water crisis in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo is the country’s gate way to South Africa, Botswana and Zambia and without
water the city will bleed to death. This will signify a death knell not just
for the Matabeleland region but indeed the whole country for a city which is
key as a transport hub for the country in the SADC Region
Fundamental changes to the policy
and regulatory framework need to be made to devolve provision of bulk water supply.
This must be done is a systematic and structured manner not in the usual fast
track manner as this could create new problems of lack of capacity and lack of
financing by local authorities. This process must be well planned, phased,
systematic and structured providing a roadmap for overhaul of the ZINWA ACT,
the Water Act, the Urban Councils Act and related acts . There also must be a
sound framework for Private / Public Partnerships which will facilitate
investment in water infrastructure development. through Build Own operate [ B.O.T.],
Build Own Operate Transfer [ Boot] and Build Own Operate models [ B.O.O.]. This
will assist in injecting private capital into water projects and infrastructure.
The policy framework must ensure that water is still accessible and affordable
to citizens.
A water financing strategy must
be developed at municipal in anticipation of a devolved water distribution
dispensation which gives councils the mandate to provide bulk water through
building dams and sourcing water from aquifers. This will require a well thought
out Local Economic Development [L.E.D ] blueprint for Bulawayo which unlocks
multiple revenue streams for the city beyond bills paid by residents.
Bulawayo Will Not Die!
Masiyephambili
Dumisani O Nkomo is the Chief
Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust
He is also a published author. He
writes here in his personal capacity
