GWERU – Health Minister David Parirenyatwa is under fire from Gweru residents who accuse him of scaremongering while doing little to resolve a deadly typhoid outbreak believed to have killed at least 10 people so far.
Typhoid was first detected in the Midlands city in early August, and in press statements issued following a visit to Gweru, Parirenyatwa declared that the city’s water was unsafe for drinking.
This sent the entire city into panic, although all typhoid cases appeared to be confined to only three areas in Mkoba, with the rest of the city seemingly unaffected.
Speaking during a meeting between residents associations and Gweru Town Clerk Elizabeth Gwatipedza, who is part of the typhoid taskforce to fight the disease, Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) president Cornelia Selipiwe said the minister should focus on providing solutions to contain the typhoid instead of giving scary statements that cause panic among residents.
“We are asking as Gweru residents that when he (Parirenyatwa) is speaking, he shouldn’t scare us because remember the way he spoke when he came here for the first time we panicked because we thought Gweru water was now undrinkable,” he said.
“Before they made any conclusions, he was already saying it could be chemical contamination and by so doing he left the city more confused than before.
“So please go and tell our minister that he should respect us and also bring us the bowsers that he promised before he left.”
Typhoid is a bacterial infection that can lead to a high fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. It can be fatal. It is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi.
Meanwhile, Gweru is down to two refuse compactors instead of five as the rest have broken down.
Selipiwe says the government, which has appointed a commission to run Gweru before the newly elected councillors take over, should use the emergency of the typhoid outbreak to channel resources to Gweru, some of which will be used to buy new refuse collection trucks.
“We have a disaster here, Gweru has fallen on hard times,” said Selipiwe.
The government has so far assembled a taskforce to investigate the origins of the typhoid outbreak, mobilise resources and ensure that the disease is contained.
There is still no consensus on the cause of the outbreak, but most suspicion has fallen on sewer pipes which are allegedly leaking their cargo into portable water.
