Chitungwiza residents sue council over sewage crisis, seek court order for infrastructure overhaul
Residents of Chitungwiza have filed a lawsuit against their local council to force an urgent overhaul of the town's failing sewage infrastructure. The plaintiffs argue that the persistent sewage overflows violate their constitutional rights to health and a clean environment.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of public health, infrastructure failure, and legal activism in addressing municipal governance issues.
Chitungwiza Residents Trust and eight residents have approached the High Court seeking an interdict compelling Chitungwiza Municipality to repair and upgrade its collapsing sewer system, arguing that years of sewage overflows have violated residents’ constitutional rights to health, dignity and a clean environment.
The application, filed against Chitungwiza Municipality, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), seeks an order directing the municipality to upgrade and repair the town’s sewer infrastructure within three months and publish an emergency short, medium- and long-term rehabilitation plan within a month. EMA is also being asked to monitor compliance with the plan.
In his founding affidavit, Chitungwiza Residents Trust board secretary Jacob Rukweza said the local authority had repeatedly failed to fulfil its statutory duty to provide adequate sewage collection, treatment and disposal services.
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