By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Beitbridge Municipality has said seamless water supply in the border town will be difficult to achieve as long as outstanding debts running into several millions have been cleared.
High-density areas owe the Municipality of Beitbridge (MoB) ZiG43.9 million, Commercial areas owe ZiG23.5 million, Industries’ debt stands at ZiG17.9 million, while government departments stand at ZiG17 million.
Low-density suburbs owe ZiG12.6 million, and medium-density areas account for ZiG8.9 million in arrears.
As a result at residents will continue receiving water only two to three days a week unless outstanding debts to council are cleared.
The remarks were made by Councillor Emanuel Takutaku during an overview of MoB’s 2026 budget during an Open Policy Discourse Meeting held on Thursday, January 29, at Summit Lodge in Beitbridge.
The meeting was organised by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) as part of efforts to promote transparency and dialogue between local authorities and residents on public finance management.
Presenting council’s position on service delivery challenges, Takutaku acknowledged widespread frustration from residents over inconsistent water supplies.
“We have heard cries from residents that water is only available for three days or less in a week, and it’s not something that can be addressed soon as long as you still owe council,” said Takutaku.
He explained that the water crisis is closely linked to revenue shortfalls, noting that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has placed the municipality on a prepaid system.
“ZINWA has put prepaid water for council, and council distributes water to the people, but the people are not paying the council,” he said.
According to figures presented at the meeting, stakeholders in Beitbridge owe council up to ZiG160 million, with high-density suburbs the worst culprits.
Takutaku said the municipality is now working on introducing prepaid water meters in residential areas as a long-term solution to improve revenue collection and ensure consistent supply.
“The council is working on prepaid meters in residential places, and the process is expected to have commenced by June once the budget has been approved,” he said.
However, he noted that the 2026 budget has not yet been approved after council submitted it for consideration, delaying the implementation of key service delivery interventions.