Water Resources Management and Development minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo has pleaded with a private company that is suing government for flouting procedures in the awarding of tenders for the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline project to drop the court case.
Addressing a Bulawayo water crisis committee meeting in the city last Friday, Nkomo pleaded with United Associates (Private) Limited to drop its legal action to expedite completion of the project.
The Bulawayo firm recently approached the courts seeking to compel the State Procurement Board to reverse its decision of awarding a tender for the electrification of the pipeline to AC Controls (Pvt) Ltd.
The Mtshabezi-Umzingwane project, reported to be 87% complete, is regarded as the city’s short-term solution to the water problem.
It is now expected to be completed in December barring problems such as the court action by United Associates.
“We ask that company, if anyone from it is here, please withdraw the case. Do not let the people of Bulawayo suffer because of your taking the issue to the courts.
“There is still another chance you will get such a job.” He blamed the State Procurement Board for slow progress on the project.
Last week, the Bulawayo City Council said the water situation had worsened forcing it to escalate its water-shedding regime from 48 hours to 72 hours per week to conserve water until the onset of the next rainy season.
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Meanwhile, residents have raised concern over the new water-shedding programme, saying it was unsustainable.
Bulawayo United Residents’ Association chairman Winos Dube said: “Already the residents were suffering with the 24-hour schedule that was spaced and now they have to spend two full days without water.”
Dube said it would be better for the engineers to reduce the pressure of water coming out of taps than have two straight days without water.
Contacted for comment, council spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu said the shedding programme was designed to build up levels of water reservoirs that were going down.
“The frequent opening of the valves would not be good because the pressure would cause damage to the pipes,” she said.
“Already we have recorded a number of cases where pipes have been destroyed by pressure.”
