Community Water Alliance sit-in protest held 13 September at City of Harare Glen-View District Offices fed into a meeting at Town House with the Mayor of Harare Councilor Hebert Gomba, Acting Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango and the Director of Housing Mr Nhekairo. The protest was triggered by cholera outbreak in Harare which started in Glen-View and Budiriro.
In the meeting with Mayor of Harare, Director of Housing and Town Clerk; Community Water Alliance compelled City of Harare to:
1) Declare cholera a provincial disaster.
2) Provide consistent supply of clean and potable water to citizens in Harare.
3) Attend and fix sewer bursts and blockages.
4) Assess the safety and quality of boreholes in Harare’s suburbs.
5) Engage stakeholders on an urgent conscientization program and raise awareness on cholera and typhoid.
6) Sanction the Glen View District Officer Mr. Gwiriri who ignored a health situation and demonstrated gross negligence that led to loss of life.
7) Assess the City Health Department’s state of preparedness to contain diseases as the rain season approaches.
8) Set up a Commission to investigate the flagrant violation of fundamental rights to life, health environment and clean water. Mr Gwiriri must account for the needless loss of life.
9) Allocate not less than 10% of the 2019 council budget to water and sanitation.
10) Assist families that lost their beloved one in every way possible.
At the district offices in Glen View, Mr Gwiriri lied that he was engaging the Mayor of Harare to come and address protesters, when in actual fact he was calling more than 10 Police Internal Security Intelligence unit guys to arrest people. Protesters were held at the Council District Offices before they were told to disperse as a condition to avoid being taken to police for detention.
Petitions were presented to both City of Harare and Parliament of Zimbabwe as a way to force the state to act on issues.
Community Water Alliance believe that the operations of government from national level to local authority level must be guided by principles of public administration and leadership contained in Chapter 9 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Source: Community Water Alliance
