BULAWAYO mayor David Coltart has been directed to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa to speed up the process of flushing out Chinese gold miners who are illegally operating in the region and destroying the city’s water sources.
Despite heavy rains, siltation due to riverbed and riverbank mining has heavily affected quantities.
Due to this, Bulawayo City Council has been rationing water for the past three years.
Speaking in council recently, Ward 22 councillor Mmeli Moyo said council and Coltart were not in a position to deal with the Chinese miners as other government agents seemed to continuously grant them licences.
“A Chinese company is mining where we draw water for our people’s survival. We do not have water because they were given authority by whosoever to do so,” said Moyo.
“We gave you a task, a mandate with the town clerk to say engage the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa about the issue with water. It is beyond the council; it is beyond the mayor that is why we said engage the President.
“When it comes to FDI and mining, there are government agencies that authorise it such as the ministry of mines and others that are directly involved. They are the ones that give permits to mine.
“We cannot control those people which is why we need to have strategic engagements with the President. What we want is water in Bulawayo.”
Bulawayo relies on five to six supply dams in the Umzingwane catchment area; Insiza, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema, Upper Ncema, Umzingwane, Mtshabezi and groundwater from the Nyamandlovu aquifer.
Recent data shows critically low levels in dams like Lower Ncema, Umzingwane, Upper Ncema, and Mtshabezi, necessitating severe water rationing.
Added Moyo: “It is my view that when you got into office you got in knowing this problem, that Bulawayo is under a water crisis.”
