The Supreme Court reserved judgment in the case in which Harare City was appealing against a 2014 High Court ruling preventing the local authority from disconnecting water supplies without a court order.
The appeal by Harare City Council follows a landmark ruling in May 2014, which labelled Section 8 of the Water By-law Statutory Instrument 164 of 1913 that empowers local authorities to cut off water supplies without a court order as unlawful. Harare lawyer Mr Farai Mushoriwa had sued the city council for disconnecting water at his apartment in town.
Through its lawyer, Mr Firoz Girach, instructed by Mr Charles Kwaramba of Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni, Harare City Council argued that water disconnection was the only practical way through which councils can force consumers to pay debts.
More: Herald
Back to top