Raw waste flowing straight into living rooms finally dragged an entire municipality into the High Court. Chitungwiza Residents Trust, joined by eight residents, filed papers in Harare, with Kelvin Kabaya and Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights running the case.
Complaints stack up fast. Household boreholes sit contaminated; the smell alone makes daily life rough, and certain schools sealed off gates because effluent pooled right there. Waterborne illness risk hangs over all 25 wards.
Their argument zeroes in on pipes that never scaled alongside the housing and commercial boom, with decades passing and barely any refurbishment happening. That neglect, they contend, tramples Sections 73, 51, and 48 of the Constitution, while Section 168 of the Urban Councils Act plainly hands the council responsibility for handling waste. The Environmental Management Act and Public Health Act got cited as well.
Their asks are concrete. Sewer repairs wrapped up within three months, an emergency maintenance roadmap published within one month, and EMA keeping watch on whether the council genuinely follows through. Nobody has slotted the matter onto a hearing roll yet.
Complaints stack up fast. Household boreholes sit contaminated; the smell alone makes daily life rough, and certain schools sealed off gates because effluent pooled right there. Waterborne illness risk hangs over all 25 wards.
Their argument zeroes in on pipes that never scaled alongside the housing and commercial boom, with decades passing and barely any refurbishment happening. That neglect, they contend, tramples Sections 73, 51, and 48 of the Constitution, while Section 168 of the Urban Councils Act plainly hands the council responsibility for handling waste. The Environmental Management Act and Public Health Act got cited as well.
Their asks are concrete. Sewer repairs wrapped up within three months, an emergency maintenance roadmap published within one month, and EMA keeping watch on whether the council genuinely follows through. Nobody has slotted the matter onto a hearing roll yet.
