majority of local authorities in the country also
proposed water rationing. According to the
UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
programme, the water and sanitation situation in
Zimbabwe faces many challenges around
capacity, behaviours and the lack of investment
in these sectors during and after the economic
crisis of the last decade. According to the Harare
Residents’ Trust, residents experienced water
disconnections, shortages, and sewerage bursts
increases, providing breeding ground for
typhoid, cholera and dysentery. The Community
Water Alliance warned that unless the water
crisis in the country was attended to, a disaster
loomed.
Access to Electricity
Electricity supply across the country was
somewhat steady, albeit Zimbabwe remained in
energy deficit. Zimbabwe required 2,400 MW in
energy production to meet national demand,
but only produced an average of 1,200MW. In
2017, the country completed the extension
project of Kariba South Power Station which
added 300MW to the national grid, adding the
total installed capacity at Kariba to 1050MW.
Although the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)
surpassed its energy delivery target for the third
quarter of 2018, Zimbabwe had a daily power
deficit of between 300MW and 600MW and
spent between $7 million and $10 million a
week on power imports from Eskom of South
Africa and Hydro Cahora Bassa of Mozambique.
The efficacy of this hydro project however is
dependent on water levels.
Health
The right to health was severely compromised by
crippling industrial action by health
professionals. Added to that was shortage of
critical drugs and equipment at public health
institutions. Most people depend on the public
health system. The challenges in the health
sector have over the years been exacerbated by
inadequate funding to the Ministry of Health and
Child Care. A cholera outbreak in September
killed about 50 people. Self-styled prophet,
Walter Magaya, was convicted on behalf of his
company Aretha Medical, for contravening the
Medicines Control Act by selling an unapproved
drug which he claimed cured HIV and AIDS. He
was fined $700. The Ministry of Health had prior
to that engaged him to withdraw his claims,
which put people at risk of absconding on
approved medication. The country has more
than 1.4 million people living with HIV and
AIDS, and 1.2 million are anti-retroviral
treatment.
Children caring a bucket of water walking
in a sewerage burst
The national waste management problem was
most clear in Harare. The Harare City Council
failed to cope with a rise in the number of people
moving from rural areas into the city. In the past
30 years, population in the capital has doubled
to more than 2,1 million people. Refuse
collection was not regular in suburbs, and was
halted completed in some areas.
The national waste
management problem
was most clear in Harare
Children play on uncollected garbage in Harare
22
STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ZIMBABWE 2018
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