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Stop bickering over typhoid: Residents

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GWERU Residents Forum (GRF) has urged Gweru City Council and the government to stop bickering over the typhoid outbreak, which has claimed six lives in the city over the past few weeks.

GWERU Residents Forum (GRF) has urged Gweru City Council and the government to stop bickering over the typhoid outbreak, which has claimed six lives in the city over the past few weeks.

BY STEPHEN CHADENGA

The residents called for maximum co-operation in curbing the spread of the waterborne disease.

Last week, Health minister David Parirenyatwa took a swipe at town clerk Elizabeth Gwatipedza for claiming that council water was safe for human consumption.

But GRF yesterday called for all stakeholders to put their heads together to resolve the crisis instead of fighting.

“The GRF urges the central government, through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Gweru City Council and all stakeholders to find common ground and tackle the typhoid crisis head-on and desist from accusations and counter accusations on who is responsible for the current situation that we find ourselves in as residents,” GRF said in a statement.

“There are high expectations that in the typhoid crisis that we are currently experiencing, there be a co-ordinated approach towards addressing the problem between council, Ministry of Health, technical partners, residents’ associations and the communities.

“What we are witnessing now is the issue of finger pointing and blame-game between council and the government, which is worrisome considering the magnitude of the problem before hand.”

GRF said in light of the disease outbreak, council should stop water disconnections, partner residents associations to increase public health awareness programmes and improve public engagement forums to disseminate accurate information to residents.

Reports indicated that the disease, which has so far claimed six lives and affected over 100 residents, was yet to be contained.

Several Gweru suburbs have been facing perennial water cuts due to incessant electrical faults that affect the city’s major water reservoir at Gwenoro Dam.

Gweru’s erratic water supplies have also been blamed on the city’s obsolete water pumps and pipes.