Siziba Thando
Health and environment reporter
Residents of Bulawayo’s Sizinda and Tshabalala suburbs are bracing for a summer of distress as chronic sewage spills and burst pipes, left unresolved for years , threaten to unleash a plague of mosquitoes and disease.
The crisis, has seen no meaningful intervention from the city council, leaving decaying infrastructure to leak raw sewage into streets and communities. With the summer heat approaching, the stagnant, polluted waters are rapidly becoming ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, heightening fears of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
Despite repeated complaints lodged with the Bulawayo City Council, residents report that no significant action has been taken to repair the burst pipes or address the aging infrastructure blamed for the problem. The inaction has left the community feeling neglected and increasingly anxious.
“Living like this with summer coming is a nightmare,” said Mrs. Khumalo, a distressed resident of Sizinda. “The council has done nothing. Mosquitoes will eat us alive with all this stagnant sewage water.”
The health risks extend far beyond mosquito bites. Medical professionals warn that constant exposure to raw sewage puts residents at direct risk of severe infections, including typhoid and cholera, and can cause long-term damage to respiratory health and well-being.
“As summer is approaching the smell is going to be unbearable worse with the rain coming the situation is about to be worse, I have already been to the hospital because i was having chest problems, now mosquitoes will add on to that ” Mrs S. Ndawana, a sizinda facing sewage problems.
The imminent threat is set against a forecast of rising temperatures. Bulawayo is expecting abundant sunshine in the coming summer season with highs of 26-28°C—conditions that will accelerate mosquito breeding in the stagnant pools and bake the raw sewage, exacerbating the already dire sanitary situation.
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