Another community in Ngwana, Plumtree, has raised concerns against Global Water Drillers, accusing the company of failing to provide services for which they had already paid.
The community pooled resources to drill a borehole to address severe water shortages affecting residents and livestock.
Cabangani Moyo, the community leader in charge of the borehole project, said the company failed to deliver on its promises.
“As a community, we were facing water challenges, so we engaged Global Water Drillers to help alleviate the water crisis affecting our elders and livestock,” said Moyo.
According to Moyo, the drilling company initially reached a dry hole at 75 meters, despite a surveyor’s report indicating that water would be found at 96 meters. The community then raised additional funds to extend the drilling to 105 meters, but the company only drilled up to 90 meters, claiming they lacked the necessary rods to continue.
“A year ago, this company drilled for us and hit a dry hole at 75 meters. The community hadn’t fully understood the surveyor’s report, which indicated water at 96 meters. We re-engaged them to drill up to 105 meters, paying them additional money. They returned and drilled to 90 meters but then said they didn’t have enough rods to go deeper. They promised to return once they had the rods, but never did. I only managed to track them down in July this year in Bulawayo; they had since closed their Plumtree office,” Moyo explained.
When the community requested a refund, Global Water Drillers proposed conducting a survey in a different area.
“We agreed to pay a certain amount. We paid them R29 750, plus an additional R5 250 that was outstanding, making a total of R35 000,” Moyo said.
“They came to drill, and as per our agreement, they were supposed to reach 100 meters. However, when they drilled around 30 meters, they struck water. For some reason, they claimed they couldn’t drill any further, saying they had only one six-meter casing, despite having promised an 18-meter standard casing. We asked them to return to complete the casing with the remaining balance, but since then, they’ve been giving us the runaround, and it has now been over a month without proper communication.”
When contacted for comment, Global Water Drillers’ Operations Manager, Donald Shumba, deflected responsibility and directed the reporter to another individual, who could not be reached.
“Kindly refer all queries to our operations,” said Shumba.
The company is also facing complaints from another Plumtree resident, Raphael Ngwenya from Osabeni, who is still awaiting a refund after Global Water Drillers failed to fulfill their contract at his homestead.
READ: https://cite.org.zw/dispute-over-borehole-drilling-leaves-plumtree-resident-frustrated/
Despite assurances that the refund would be processed within a week, the company has yet to meet its promise.
