Hardlife Mudzingwa

School / Education

2004 – BA, University of Zimbabwe.

No other information could be found on his Junior or High School, or any tertiary education.

Service / Career

Founder – Community Water Alliance (CWA).
Twice arrested organizing and leading demonstrations demanding safe and clean water in residential areas.
Water is a basic human right enshrined under section 77 of the Zimbabwe Constitution.
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Events

In October 2016, Hardlife Mudzingwa went to the High Court to seek the arrest of Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo on corruption allegations arising from alleged abuse of Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) money. In court papers, he describes himself as a “vendor”. However, Mudzingwa has a degree in developmental studies from the University of Zimbabwe and holds a diploma in labour law. He works for a non-governmental organisation, which he founded, and his most prominent role has been as national spokesperson for the political pressure group, Tajamuka, which has been organising protest action against the Zanu PF government. Mudzingwa said he sometimes operates as a vendor around Harare’s central business district. “I sell perfumes.”

Mudsingwa denied being used by the Emmerson Mnangagwa Zanu PF faction. known as the G40, which Moyo has publicly accused of engineering allegations that he stole over $400 000 from Zimdef. The minister says the money was used to fund Zanu PF activities that included Mugabe’s 92nd birthday celebrations in Masvingo. If this is so, he should present himself to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. These were taxpayer funds. Asked who was funding his legal suit, Mudzingwa claimed his lawyer was acting on pro-bono basis after the duo reached an “understanding”. He is being represented by Mupindu Legal Practitioners. ^[2]

In August 2018, the Gweru Residents Trust and Community Water Alliance issued a list of demands to the government and relevant ministries to address the typhoid outbreak in Gweru. Following typhoid outbreaks Hardlife Mudzingwa said the government must prioritise water sanitation and address root causes of typhoid in the country.

There is a need for a meaningful budget allocation of not less than five percent, to address pipe replacement and sewer plant rehabilitation, proper coordination among key state players including the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate and the Ministry of Health, and preservation of fresh water sources and wetlands. ^[3]

In July 2019, CNN reported that more than two million people would be unable to access clean water due to the recent drought and the resulting water rationing programme for Harare and Bulawayo, which would see residents accessing tap water only once a week.

Harare has had low water quality due to a critical shortage of purifying chemicals, which cost in excess of USD$3 million per month. Harare Acting Water Director Mabhena Moyo blamed the current economic crisis for hampering water service delivery. ^[4]

After it was revealed that Harare highlighted that it has reduced its pumping capacity from 300 megalitres to at least 200 megalitres, in September 2019, Combined Residents and Ratepayers Association president McStephen Nyabvure and Community Water Alliance director Hardlife Mudzingwa, called on central government to intervene and it should be declared a national disaster.

Harare residents are unhappy after it was proposed to increase water charges by at least 900 percent. Water charges will increase from $0,80 cents to $7 per cubic metre. ^[5]

In September 2019, further information revealed water shortages for Harare and satellite towns. The residents are set to start getting 100 megalitres per day against a demand of 1 200 megalitres. Council has been pumping 300 megalitres daily, with only half of that reaching residents, while the rest is lost along the distribution network. CoH water distribution manager Tapiwa Kunyadini said the city will reduce pumping capacity to 200 megalitres, of which half will also be lost along the way.

Water treatment capacity at Morton Jafrray is 614 megalitres and Prince Edward is 90 megalitres, but only 300 megalitres was treated at Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward plant was decommissioned after dams supplying it dried up. In addition, trucks that were supposed to deliver treatment chemicals have been stuck at the border for four days, so supplies must be cut significantly. The reason why we are losing between 50 percent to 60 percent of our treated water is due to our dilapidated infrastructure. For example, one of the city’s oldest low-density suburbs, Avondale, have never had their pipes replaced.

Kunyadini said the council’s proposed plan was to increase water supply to at least 430 megalitres by next year but it will still be short of the average demand of 600 megalitres per day. Deputy Mayor Enock Mupamawonde said the city was spending about $30 million on chemicals every month. CHRA community officer Reuben Akili said water woes were largely a result of mismanagement following a series of grants that have been abused in the past, including the US$144 million grant from China. ^[6]

In October 2019, a cholera scare arose after Community Water Alliance sent enumerators to ward 39 in Dzivarasekwa to undertake parallel typhoid, diarrhoeal and cholera tabulations which results pointed that the majority of those affected had dysentery (diarrhoeal with blood). Harare City Council’s health services director, Prosper Chonzi allayed fears of a cholera outbreak saying the watery diarrhoea was caused by drawing water from unprotected sources. Chonzi told the health committee that due to erratic water supplies residents resorted to drawing water from unprotected sources, and that as long as water supplies were not consistent, such cases would spread to other areas. ^[7]