daniel chigunwe
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT has reversed the recent decision by Harare City Council to allow a cemetery to be established on top of the main trunk of Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant along Seke Road.
Residents and stakeholders raised concern about risks posed by decomposing human remains that can result in the contamination of treated water should there be a line rupture or a burst pipe within the cemetery area.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care had since instituted investigations into the public health implications of council’s decision, which Local Government and Public Works Minister Dr Daniel Garwe said had now been stopped.
Speaking at a “Ministers’ Meet the Media” platform organised by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere in Harare on Monday, Dr Garwe dismissed council’s decision as corruption-driven adding that no due diligence had been done.
Initially, some councillors from Harare City Council had been sold the land through corrupt means as stands, but the Government reversed the decision, prompting crooked council officials to change plans and seek to establish a cemetery.
The Government consequently had to intervene and rectify the anomaly.
“Harare City Council, through corrupt means, some Councillors working in cahoots with some officials were sold pieces of this land first as stands then we stopped it.
“Then they now wanted to build a cemetery there, which we also stopped, it is not going to continue,” said Minister Garwe.
The shocking decision by Harare City Council had raised fears of water contamination, reminiscent of the recent Lake Chivero pollution incident that claimed wildlife and fish.
The cemetery was to be established too close to the stream feeding into the raw water source, raising chances of contamination of Seke Dam’s ground and surface water.
Corpses and coffins discharge chemicals and impurities that could have been carried by rainwater seeping into graves or buried bodies, which may have eventually gotten into direct contact with groundwater into the raw water source, posing a serious health hazard.
Despite corrupt activities by some officials in local authorities, Minister Garwe said relations between Central Government and local authorities had greatly improved.
Relations with Rural District Councils (RDCs), he said, had always been productive.
“We have got two sets of local authorities; the urban local authorities and the rural district councils. 60 rural district councils and 32 local authorities.
“The relationship between Central Government and RDCs is very cordial, it has always been cordial.
“The relationship between Local Government and urban local authorities used to be terrible. In fact, there was no relationship but now, the relationship has improved, it is now cordial,” he said.
Minister Garwe said Government and local authorities were now working hand in glove, as they should.
“We can call them for meetings and they will come and attend. Sometimes, they phone us for advice, and I will give you an example, I am sure you read about Victoria Falls where the mayor had fired the Town Clerk and we then wrote back telling him to rescind the decision because it was irregular.
“We then had meetings with them just before Christmas and we then discussed our concerns that it was not in line with the Urban Councils Act,” he said.
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