Council Workers, Residents Fight Over Water in Redcliff

In the wake of the perennial water woes bedeviling Redcliff Town Council, there were fierce clashes involving municipal workers and residents at the local authority’s offices in Rutendo suburb, Sunday evening.

This was after some council workers had blocked residents from accessing water at the municipal offices where an electric borehole was drilled to serve residents from Rutendo suburb. Hordes of irate residents congregated at a locked entrance gate, shouting expletives at some council workers who were fetching water at a tap inside the premises.

The residents accused a one Banda- who is a council employee- of being responsible for blocking them from getting the water at the municipal offices in Rutendo suburb.

Zwnews witnessed a near-fist-fight between Banda and one of the residents who wanted to fetch water at the borehole.

“We have been blocked from getting water by Mr Banda and some council employees who are inside the premises,” said Tongai Ndlovu, one of the residents who was sitting at the entrance gate of the council offices.

“What is agonising is the fact that this is the same council which is responsible for poor service delivery and their workers are now blocking us from getting water. They discriminately give water to their friends and families at the expense of the general public,” he said.

Banda refused to entertain questions from the media and threatened this reporter with litigation ‘if you write about me in your newspaper’.

“You can go and write whatever you want to write my young brother, but I will sue you if you write my name. Who told you that we are supposed to give people water, here?” charged Banda.

Redcliff Town Clerk, Gilson Chakauya could not be immediately reached for comment during the time of publishing.

The debt-ridden dormitory town has for long experienced water problems and protests by the residents have failed to bear any fruit.

Zwnews