BICKERING among officials at the Harare City Council is affecting the municipality’s efforts to find a lasting solution to a crippling water crisis amid revelations the capital is producing a quarter of its daily requirements, NewsDay has established.
Councillors and management have failed to find common ground over a 2020 deal council entered into with South Africa-based Nanotech Water Solutions for the supply, installation, commission, operation and maintenance of the Chlorine Dioxide Water Treatment Technology at Morton Jaffray Waterworks.
Councillors want the contract terminated arguing that Nanotech was in breach of various laws, including the Exchange Control Regulations, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act and the Urban Councils Act.
They have also recommended that the case to be referred to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for possible prosecution, including criminal breach of trust by officials involved in the contract, while there are possible corruption charges under the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Act.
It has since emerged that Harare’s water treatment plants, Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward, are struggling to meet the city’s water demands, with current production levels at 300 megalitres per day, far below the required 1 200 megalitres.
The City of Harare last month temporarily decommissioned the Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant near Chitungwiza saying it could no longer draw water from Harava and Seke dams, which supply the plant, as they had dried up. Harare Water acting director Richard Nyadini told stakeholders on Tuesday that the water situation is dire.
“The capacity of Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward is 704 megalitres. That is the capacity we are treating at the moment. So you will find a mismatch between what we require as a metropolitan and what we can produce from the current treatment works. Therefore, we need a lot of water.
“As of yesterday, the current capacity was 365 megalitres. It is below the design capacity due to some limitations, mechanical, the age of the plant. There are a lot of more technical challenges in the system.
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Morton Jaffray is supposed to be treating 614 megalitres, but it is treating 300. Prince Edward is supposed to be treating 87, but it is treating 65.
So as of yesterday, we only supplied 300 megalitres from the plants. So there is a 900 megalitre shortage for Harare.
“That’s where we are then working with Nanotech, which is right on site as we are talking to see how best we can reduce or eliminate the chemicals and currently, as of today, we are only using aluminium sulphate and sodium chloride and chlorine gas.”
Harare accused Nanotech of breach of agreement after it failed to provide acquittals for the US$1,1 million paid in advance for the trial as agreed between the two entities.
Nanotech has, however, disputed the claims made by embattled Harare town clerk Hosiah Chisango, who said it was also in breach of “utmost good faith” in dealing with council which had paid US$1,68 million in advance.
Nanotech only acquitted US$189 000 of the sum received in advance.
Nanotech recently told NewsDay that it was ready to furnish Zacc with documents that show that some councillors and senior officials deliberately frustrated the US$5,4 million project because they wanted kickbacks.
Nanotech manager Joe Rugwete yesterday said the company was committed to providing a solution to the Harare water woes despite the challenges they are facing from officials at Town House including corruption.
“We remain resolute and we are prepared to make sure that clean water is provided to the residents but we also implore the council to meet its obligations to Nanotech,” he said.
Rugwete also said Nanotech was sure that the commission of inquiry appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in April this year would also help in solving the challenges at Town House.
According to the memorandum of agreement signed by the two entities, Harare was supposed to submit a performance bond equivalent to 10% of the contract price.
In the cost of the pilot project worth US$5 370 000, the arrears were due in three equal monthly instalments of US$1 790 000 on or before the 20th of every month.
It was also agreed that each party would be guilty of breach or non-observance of the agreement after failing to carry out any of its obligations and terminate the arrangements within seven days.
Harare and Nanotech also agreed that equipment will immediately revert or accrue to the latter if the agreement is terminated.
With Harare failing to provide constant water supplies, an environmental management committee meeting in July this year expressed concern over the delay caused by the termination of the Nanotech contract.
Harare water director Phakamile Mabhena Moyo recommended to the committee that the city’s business development unit takes over the project.
The committee, however, dismissed the director’s recommendations saying “the matter fell under its purview” hence it had to make a final decision with regard to the matter.
The matter was also referred to the audit committee, which met on August 15 this year, where the audit manager acknowledged the impasse with Nanotech in a report circulated during the meeting.
