Staff Reporter

Kwekwe Mayor Albert Zinhanga has issued an apology to residents following severe flooding that affected numerous homes last week due to a poor drainage system.

“We want to apologise to the residents on the issue of drainage. We apologise on that regard,” said Zinhanga.

He explained that the council had initially planned to address the drainage problem last year but faced delays in executing the plan.

“Last year, when we started as council, we wanted to really address the drainage issue. We could not address the drainage issue in the rainy season. Works Department asked for the manpower, but there were issues that had been dragging in terms of employing those people,” he said.

Zinhanga revealed that the recruitment of the necessary workforce only happened in November, which hindered timely action. However, he assured residents that efforts to open and maintain drainage systems are ongoing.

“We ended up employing the people in November, so we want those people to keep on opening the drains until we get to the next season so that by the time we get to that time, we have all the drainages open. We are promising a better Kwekwe in the coming season,” he said.

The recent flooding has raised concerns among residents, highlighting the urgent need for improved drainage infrastructure to prevent future occurrences.