Ruwa Town Council is suffering from an “identity crisis” resulting in the dormitory town losing out on international aid as they believed it falls under Harare Metropolis, council chairperson Pinias Mushayavanhu has said.
Mushayavanhu told NewsDay in an interview that the town was losing out on donor funding.
“We have a bigger problem and that is identity crisis. We have been prejudiced even on aid including part of the $17 million given to Harare for water and sewer reticulation. It’s assumed that we are part of Harare, but the funds don’t come to us,” Mushayavanhu said.
“Some consider us part of Mashonaland East and others think we are under Harare and we are just a place in Harare class A. We are not donor attractive by virtue of that identity crisis. As they drive along the highway, they think we are a rich suburb in Harare.”
He said there was even a problem where the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority erected a tollgate in the middle of the town where locals going to bury their relatives to the cemetery had to go beyond the tollgate. This means that the tollgate was done with Harare and Marondera in mind.
“We threatened community litigation and we did lots of political lobbying and the tollgate will be removed,” he said.
A survey by NewsDay in Ruwa showed that a health crisis was also looming as several houses had no running water with the majority relying on unprotected wells for drinking water.
