By Fasting Mwamuka
The demand for the collective commons such as water and firewood is spiralling as the population increases. This is fuelling conflicts that often end in violence if not properly managed.
My name is Fasting Mwamuka and I am 29 years old. I am a member of the Ward Peace Teams in Chipinge district, eastern Zimbabwe. The Ward Peace Teams were established through the work of Chikukwa Ecological Land Use Community Trust (CELUCT) to address conflicts, particularly related to water and land.
For me to be a member of the Ward Peace Teams I had to undergo training in conflict management. The training equipped me with skills to resolve conflicts before engaging key stakeholders such as the traditional leaders and the law enforcement agents. Little did I know when I participated in the training that I would also be caught up in a conflict that would need me to use the conflict management skills I had acquired.
In 2020, a local non-governmental organisation drilled a borehole and installed a water pump to supply water to Mzila Primary School in Hotburg area as well as the surrounding community. The organisation installed some water points for community members that were accessible to everyone in the community.
The conflict started in 2021 when six households connected water from the water pipes to their individual homesteads. These households started to excessively use water on projects such as fish farming and irrigation. This affected water supplies downstream and the affected community members began to complain against the abuse of water. Those who had made the illegal connections defended themselves saying people were just being jealous. Some community members also began to threaten violence against the six families.
My Ward Peace Team called for a meeting to discuss the water issue. During the first meeting, there was an impasse as the six households refused to disconnect water from the community pipes. We called for a second meeting that was attended by more members of the community and it was agreed to set up a community committee that would develop guidelines on the use of water.
This helped to diffuse the tension and everyone agreed to adhere to the outcomes of the work that is being done by the committee. The committee is still working on completing the guidelines.
I am happy that the skills I learned from CELUCT have helped the community to resolve a conflict that had the potential to cause violence. From the intervention, I learned that conflicts can be better resolved if everyone is given an opportunity to express themselves.
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