Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday said his government was working on replacing the old sewer infrastructure installed by the Rhodesian regime, which was constantly bursting in Harare, leading to the outbreak of waterborne diseases such as the deadly cholera epidemic.
He said this after touring the worst affected high-density suburb, Glen View and a hospital in the capital on Wednesday.
“My administration will prioritise funding of the national health system,” he said.
Mnangagwa said the government was working on raising funds to replace dilapidated infrastructure.
“We are raising money which has been coming in daily so that we fix the burst pipes at Morton Jeffery Waterworks and the central business district as well as the suburbs,” he said.
“We have been told that most of these pipes are old and are bursting at any given time, so we have found some well-wishers who are helping us.”
Mnangagwa pledged allowances to health staff attending to cholera patients at Glen View Poly Clinic and the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by his two deputies Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, as well as Cabinet ministers, promised to support families who had lost their relatives to the epidemic.
“We are very sorry for your loss. We have put systems in place to help you out because your loss is our loss. You will be receiving our assistance soon,” he said.
Cholera has killed more than 30 people in the country, with Harare being the most affected since September 6 when it was detected.
As a result of the seriousness of the threat, on Tuesday, Mnangagwa set up an inter-ministerial committee to come up with plans on how to completely eradicate the pandemic.
- African News Agency (ANA)
