Chitungwiza- For Farirai Dube, a 40 year old mother of four in Chitungwiza’s Unit K, water is not a utility, it is a currency more valuable than the Zimbabwe dollar.

Every morning, before the sun crests the horizon, she joins a queue that snakes meters, buckets in hand, hoping for a turn at an overworked borehole that may or may not yield water.

“Some areas haven’t had running water in over a decade,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow as she balanced a 20-litre container on her head.

“People have resorted to digging wells, drilling boreholes or buying water from vendors, often at exorbitant prices. It’s that season again when the wells run dry and boreholes produce very little to cater for everyone,” she aired her frustration.

For a dollar, she explained, one can buy between 8 to 10 buckets – barely enough for a family’s morning needs. “Families typically need 10 to 12 buckets a day. That is about US$1 to US$2 daily just for water. It’s unbearable,” she added.

Her neighbour, Godwin Tasara, a father of three and a printer who commutes daily to Harare, has watched the crisis unfold over two decades.

“In Chitungwiza, things are not good as far as water is concerned,” he said, his voice heavy with resignation. “And every year it’s the same”.

This week, Parliament heard why.

A Town Held Hostage by Harare’s Taps

Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe’s third-largest urban settlement with a population approaching one million, remains entirely dependent on treated water supplied by the City of Harare. Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Albert Mavunga told the National Assembly that the municipality currently supplies an average of 14 megalitres per day against a daily demand of 70 megalitres – a deficit so severe it has reduced water to a myth: spoken of in bills, promised in council meetings, but rarely seen in actual taps.

The crisis deepened in August 2024 when Harare decommissioned the Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant after its main sources – Harava and Seke dams – dried up. The plant had previously contributed 70 megalitres daily, with 30 megalitres dedicated to Chitungwiza. Today, the town receives as little as 12 megalitres.

Government Promises – and a Buck Passed

Mavunga told Parliament that the government has proposed construction of the Muda‑Nyatsime Dam project to provide a dedicated water source for Chitungwiza, alongside associated treatment and distribution infrastructure. In the interim, he said, authorities are rehabilitating existing infrastructure, expanding borehole capacity and mobilising investment through partnerships.

But when St Mary’s legislator Brighton Mazhindu pressed for details on funding, noting that previous parliamentary responses had cited a lack of money, the deputy minister demurred.

“I think the House is aware that most raw water bodies fall under a different ministry,” Mavunga said. “So, for me to delve into the funding of these projects would be irregular.”

He referred questions to the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture, noting that the Kunzvi Dam, currently under construction, would also help.

A US$426 Million Bill and No Timeline

The Muda Dam, planned along the Mupfure River with a capacity of 53,119 megalitres, forms part of a broader project valued at approximately US$350 million.

Yet in March 2026, Parliament heard that construction has not commenced due to funding constraints. Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development minister, Anxious Masuka confirmed the government has not secured the required financing, with resources currently directed to 12 dams already at advanced stages.

Meanwhile, Chitungwiza Municipality Director of Works, David Duma recently revealed that the town requires at least US$426 million to fully address its worsening water and sewer infrastructure challenges. The municipality needs 112 megalitres daily but receives just 12 from Harare. “Our situation can only improve once we have our own source of water, which is central to improved sewer management,” Duma said.

‘They Act Like Water Is Gold’

For residents like Dube and Tasara, the disconnect between official rhetoric and daily reality is a source of bitter frustration.

“This town survives on drought excuses,” Dube said, her voice rising. “They act like water is gold, something you must earn through mourning”.

The burden falls heaviest on women and children. “I have been raising my children alone since my husband passed away five years ago,” Dube said. “The little money I make goes towards buying water. There is no time to rest, and we are exposed to danger when fetching water at night”.

Schools have been affected, with growing fears of waterborne disease outbreaks. The elderly and child-headed families have been hit hardest. “Elderly people without caregivers are struggling because they cannot get enough food, water or even a bath,” said one resident.

A Crisis Decades in the Making

Chitungwiza’s water woes are not new. For more than 20 years, the town has struggled with shortages. The town was built on granite rock, making borehole drilling a gamble that often yields dry holes. In 2008, Chitungwiza was the epicentre of a nationwide cholera epidemic linked to poor water sanitation. More than 50 deaths were reported from cholera in the township alone in late 2023.

And yet, hope, however faint, persists. The Kunzvi Dam is nearing completion and is expected to ease water supplies in Greater Harare. But as Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume recently warned, even Kunzvi will not be enough to meet the surging demand of 500 megalitres per day.

For now, Dube, Tasara and nearly one million other residents of Chitungwiza continue their daily pilgrimage to boreholes and water vendors, waiting for a promise that has been made and broken too many times to count.

“It is insulting,” Tasara said. “They tell us there is no water every other day. Then suddenly they have it, because the media is watching? That is not leadership, that is theatre”.

As the dry season approaches and El Niño-induced drought conditions persist, the question remains: Will Chitungwiza’s taps ever flow, or will the next tragedy be the one that finally forces action?