Municipal Reporter
The Harare City Council is spending up to US$3 million monthly on water treatment chemicals as the council starts feeling the effects of the withdrawal of assistance by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

Harare Mayor Mr Muchadeyi Masunda said this at a stakeholders’ meeting last week where South African company Vita Nova Africa donated water treatment chemicals to the city.
The firm was also seeking partnership opportunities, a proposition Town House turned down, saying it was already seized with several agreements with other foreign partners.

“We are working on several experiments at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant, which could see the reduction in the uptake of chemicals,” said Mr Masunda.
“The city is pumping out US$1,5 million to US$3 million every month on water treatment chemicals alone.”
Unicef stopped supplying free water treatment chemicals to councils in March this year after helping to ward off a deadly cholera outbreak that killed more than 2 000 people in the country in 2008.

Meanwhile, Mayor Masunda said the Harare City Council could not partner with the South African firm under more concrete arrangements owing to several other standing agreements with organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

He said focus was largely on value addition and skills exchange. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helped the city secure engineers for the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant. “We have already entered into various partnerships, as a city, under which some companies procure chemicals and carry out experiments for us.
“We have also attracted the support of Bill and Melinda Gates. They have even hired engineers for us from some of South Africa’s top companies that are also into chemicals.

“We want to get rid of companies that just come to trade only; we want those that bring expertise and value to the country, also bearing in mind that Zimbabwe has a high literacy rate.”

Vita Nova Africa managing director Mr Alan du Randt said they were offering the biggest brands of chemicals, which could also reduce the rate of chemical uptake.
“We have solutions for Harare water, ranging from chemicals, water products, and technology. If all the experiments are done properly, this could save the city US$700 000 a month.

“In South Africa, we have done work at the major water treatment plants, and also in Mozambique. We also have a well-qualified team, which has expertise in waterworks as well.”