6 September 2008
editorial
IF ever evidence of the scale of sheer incompetence of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) was required, it was there last week for everyone to see: at least 10 people died from cholera in Chitungwiza.
The latest outbreak, comes after weeks of increasing numbers of cases and reports of serious diarrhoea across the capital city, as a result of sewage spills that have contaminated Harare's water reservoirs.
There have been previous outbreaks of cholera in Kadoma, Chegutu, Mabvuku, Epworth and the western sections of Harare. These should have prepared the authorities to cope with such emergencies.
There is not much point in suggesting that the Ministry of Water Resources and Infrastructural Development cracks the whip on Zinwa because the collapse of the water utility and sewer system has taken place on its watch.
The government fails to appreciate why the majority of the people are against it. It is because of its dismal record of delivery! People want service not slogans. Voters want results not uninterrupted record of unfulfilled promises. This has absolutely nothing to do with sanctions!
The latest victims of the cholera outbreak in Chitungwiza need not have died, but the government's record of neglect is breathtaking. Chitungwiza is an area enveloped by the stench of sewage - similar to the one that greets visitors to Zimbabwe on their way from the Harare International Airport at Queenspark shopping centre or near 1 Commando Barracks.
The question the government must answer is how many more lives is it prepared to sacrifice before it can act- soon after it allowed food shortages brought about by its ban on non-governmental organisations to threat lives of the most vulnerable groups of Zimbabweans? This government does not care!
But it is also incapable of realising the extent of the collapse of such services as the urban and national road network, water, electricity, sewer network and telecommunications is beyond it and requires external expertise and funding. This is why it is critical for Zanu PF to agree to a power-sharing deal with the MDC so that external assistance can revitalise collapsed infrastructure, while key personnel critical for recovery are attracted back to the country.
The latest deaths provide a compelling argument for the disbandment of this creature of incompetence called Zinwa immediately. How many more lives should be lost and how many more children must be imperilled before the government recognises that it has an emergency?
It is inexcusable that the government can be allowed to experiment with people's lives all because it wants to remain in control. If it wants to remain in control, then the best way is to ensure that people who know their work are appointed to the right position instead of the current system of patronage. Voters would not care about who is in power as long as they served the people first and not their personal or party interests.
It is irresponsible, reckless and criminal that we can have a government that specialises in fire-fighting problems, which are essentially the result of its own making, negligence and incompetence. The government has no plausible defence for not disbanding Zinwa.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Zimbabwe Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
