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Freedom Mupanedemo Midlands Bureau
REDCLIFF Town Council is losing nearly 60 percent of the treated water it is getting from Kwekwe City due to serious leakages along its main pipeline that was laid more than 40 years ago by Ziscosteel, the town’s mayor, Councillor Fred Kapuya, has said.
The 11km pipeline takes water from Kwekwe water treatment plant to Ziscosteel and onward to Redcliff’s suburbs.

In an interview, Clr Kapuya said Redcliff was receiving only 40 percent of the water from Kwekwe City while the bulk was being lost.

“The pipeline was laid more than 40 years ago and now has serious leakages. So, in essence, Redcliff town is getting less than 50 percent of the water that Kwekwe City bills us,” he said.

Clr Kapuya said Ziscosteel was the owner of the pipeline and was supposed to maintain it but the local authority was engaging various stakeholders to repair it.

“The challenge is that Ziscosteel is at the moment the company is closed and there is only talk of its resuscitation.
“As the local authority we can’t just move in and repair private property without engaging the owners.
“We are engaging them and soon, we will try to repair the pipeline so that we do not continue being charged what we have not consumed,” he said.

Clr Kapuya said Redcliff town, which solely relies on money collected from ratepayers, was now saddled with a nearly $3 million water bill.
“Of late we have been servicing our bill with Kwekwe City Council but we are struggling. Until there is some life at Ziscosteel we will continue to struggle,” he said.