Bulawayo residents are facing yet another week of dry taps after the City Council extended water supply cuts due to delays in upgrade works at the Umzingwane Pump Station.
The municipality announced that the completion of the project, initially scheduled for 10 October, has been pushed back after transformer systems failed performance tests, a setback that has deepened residents’ frustration over worsening water shortages.
Acting Town Clerk Christopher Dube said water supply would remain suspended from Monday, 13 October at 17:00 until Wednesday, 15 October, to prevent damage to the city’s water distribution infrastructure.
“The ongoing upgrade works at the Umzingwane Pump Station have been further delayed due to the transformer systems failing the performance tests,” said Dube.
He added that the city would also experience additional supply disruptions on Tuesday, 14 October, as the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) conducts maintenance works affecting power supply to pumping stations.
The latest development comes as Bulawayo remains under a 130-hour water shedding schedule, implemented to manage critically low dam levels and frequent infrastructure breakdowns.
Residents have expressed frustration over prolonged outages, which have disrupted household and business operations across the city.
City officials have repeatedly cited ageing infrastructure, electricity disruptions, and reduced inflows into supply dams as major contributors to the ongoing water crisis.
Support CITE’s fearless, independent journalism. Your donation helps us amplify community voices, fight misinformation, and hold power to account. Help keep the truth alive. Donate today