Author： Musemwa Muchaparara
Publisher： Routledge Ltd
ISSN： 1465-3893
Source： Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol.32, Iss.2, 2006-06, pp. : 239-254
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Abstract
Post-independence Zimbabwe experienced three severe droughts within ten years, that is: 1982–1984, 1986–1987, and 1991–1992. The impact of these droughts was particularly severe on the urban poor as well as the overall economy of Bulawayo because of the perennially arid conditions that the city experienced since its establishment in 1894. This article explores four central propositions. First, that although independence theoretically ended restrictive and racialised access to water for the people of Bulawayo, it did not necessarily bring about increased water security. Second, that water crises persisted on a recurring basis. Third, that to a large extent these crises were man-made and linked to intense struggles over access to, and management of, water resources in postcolonial Zimbabwe. Fourth, that the conflicts were embedded in a larger set of ethnic and regional tensions which antedated the postcolonial period and were intensified by the ongoing ZANU–ZAPU political divide. The article documents the intense competition between the central government and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) over water, and explores the social, economic, and political bases of this conflict between 1980 and 1994.
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