At the Chitungwiza Arts Centre, imagination has become a civic instrument. Sculptor Personal Zenda chisels a Blair toilet into a symbol of urgency; Chango Chitoko paints women balancing water buckets in quiet resilience, while Brighton Tendayi renders migrating animals as metaphors for displacement and survival.
Across the gallery, stark protest pieces against open defecation confront viewers with the human cost of neglect, transforming art into advocacy in a town determined to rewrite its public health story.
It is within this convergence of creativity and crisis that Chitungwiza is charting a decisive course.
A broad coalition of stakeholders from municipal departments to national agencies, residents’ groups, businesses and development partners convened at Utano Centre for a two-day indaba focused on water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash), signalling a shift from reactive responses to anticipatory action.
The meeting centred on the Chitungwiza Wash Epidemic Anticipatory Action Plan (2026-30), a strategy designed to detect risks early and trigger coordinated interventions before outbreaks escalate.
Acting town clerk Japson Nemuseso, in the foreword, underscored the urgency: recurring cholera, typhoid and diarrhoeal outbreaks have exposed the limits of emergency-driven responses and the need for prevention-focused systems.
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Chitungwiza, located about 25km southeast of Harare, faces mounting pressure from rapid urbanisation, ageing infrastructure and a growing population projected to exceed 440 000 by 2030.
High-density settlements such as Zengeza, St Mary’s and Seke continue to strain water supply, sewer systems and waste management capacity.
A situation analysis presented at the workshop paints a sobering picture that erratic water supply forces reliance on unsafe sources; sewer blockages and bursts result in the pollution of residential areas; uncollected waste fuels illegal dumping; while flooding and drought cycles intensify public health risks.
These conditions collectively heighten vulnerability to waterborne diseases.
The anticipatory action framework introduces a four-tier early warning system, from normal monitoring to full crisis response, which is anchored on 13 indicators, including water supply interruption, sewer burst frequency, water quality, disease incidence and environmental hazards.
Each trigger activates predefined actions such as water trucking, chlorination, emergency repairs and community awareness campaigns. Institutional coordination is central to the plan.
The Environmental Health Department leads surveillance and hygiene promotion, while Water and Sewage Services Department oversees infrastructure maintenance.
The Department of Civil Protection coordinates disaster response, supported by an Emergency Operations Centre to streamline information and action.
Community participation is equally emphasised. Ward Wash committees, health workers and school clubs are positioned as frontline observers, ensuring early detection of risks at the grassroots level.
Financing mechanisms, including a proposed 5% allocation of Wash revenue, government support and private sector partnerships, aim to sustain implementation.
Presenting an overview of anticipatory action, Melissa Sibanda from the Department of Civil Protection highlighted a paradigm shift: acting ahead of predicted hazards using predefined triggers, pre-agreed action and pre-allocated funding.
She noted that Zimbabwe’s multi-hazard landscape, spanning droughts, floods and epidemics, requires integrated early warning systems and inclusive planning, particularly for vulnerable groups such aspersons with disabilities.
Despite progress, gaps remain, including limited disability-inclusive infrastructure and communication systems, as well as funding constraints for early warning dissemination.
The implementation timeline prioritises establishing early warning systems in 2026, infrastructure rehabilitation in 2027, expanded community disaster risk management by 2029 and fully resilient systems by 2030.
As deliberations closed, one message resonated: Chitungwiza’s path forward lies in anticipation, coordination and community ownership. From gallery walls to policy frameworks, the town is aligning creativity with strategy, turning warnings into action and action into resilience.