The Zimbabwean government has approved the City of Harare’s prepaid water metering project, a key component of efforts to modernise the capital’s water and sewer infrastructure.
This endorsement comes despite significant concerns raised by senators about the potential impact on vulnerable households.
The project, a joint venture between the City of Harare and private partner Helcraw Water (Pvt) Ltd, seeks to address the city’s ageing water network, which has contributed to recurrent waterborne disease outbreaks such as cholera.
Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi explained that the prepaid system is designed to ensure sustainable financing for infrastructure upgrades, while improving efficiency and revenue collection by reducing losses from leakages and non-payment.
He added that the system is also expected to enhance service reliability for consumers.
The partnership with Helcraw includes the installation of smart prepaid water meters, replacement of more than 6,400 kilometres of old water pipes, upgrading of the Morton Jaffray Water Works to boost output from 350 to 520 megalitres per day, and the provision of service vehicles and a real-time call centre for improved accountability.
During a recent Senate question-and-answer session, several senators questioned the fairness of the prepaid model, citing the constitutional right to clean water and the financial struggles of vulnerable groups such as pensioners and child-headed households.
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Senator Irene Zindi noted that many pensioners earn less than US$40 per month and would struggle to prepay for water.
Senator Sesel Zvidzai warned against applying the electricity prepaid model to water, pointing out that “water has no substitute.” He added that some local authorities currently provide a “social water” allowance for low-income residents.
Minister Ziyambi, however, dismissed the notion of “free” or subsidised water, saying every consumer must pay for what they use.
He also claimed that research shows prepaid water systems can be cheaper than traditional billing methods, and urged senators to submit written details about free water allowances for review.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume and Senator Charles Tawengwa, who is also the Minister of State for Harare Province, recently toured the project sites and confirmed progress on the upgrades.
The central government has allocated US$9.8 million for the installation of 19 high-capacity pumps.
A major development in the project includes a switch to drawing raw water from the less-polluted Lake Manyame instead of Lake Chivero, a move that has reduced the number of purification chemicals required from nine to three.
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