Fortune Nkosi
Bulawayo—Residents of Zimbabwe’s second capital are challenging a proposed water utility model put forward by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) whose details they maintain are still vague.
It has emerged that the council has just started consulting the residents now, even though the model—which entails separating water and sewerage rates—was mooted 14 years ago on a Local Government ministry recommendation.
According to council engineer Kwanele Dube Sibanda, a workshop was held in 2023 to revive discussions over the issue, after which a resolution to separate the water and sanitation unit from engineering services was made in February 2024.
This would entail making sewerage and water rates independent of each other.
The council is now consulting residents on forming a public water utility, fully owned by the city and aimed at improving efficiency, reducing bureaucracy and attracting investment.
However, during a heated consultative meeting at the council chambers recently, residents
demanded that BCC must halt further discussions until it establishes an awareness campaign to first educate them on what the water utility entails instead of imposing it on them.
The council agreed to suspend meetings until a comprehensive paper on the water utility was prepared and shared by a committee that was chosen by residents and council.
Residents questioned why the city was suddenly pushing for the water utility model.
“The energy and urgency displayed by policymakers on this issue are concerning. You claim to be consulting us on the model, yet you never asked if we want the utility in the first place. Why not consult us first before making decisions?” queried one resident.
The Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) chairperson, Winos Dube, criticised the council’s approach, pointing out that the municipality was sitting on a raft of unfulfilled promises.
“Residents in Bulawayo are always scared. Once bitten, twice shy. We are deceived by good presentations, but when it comes to implementation, we see no results. We were promised reliable electricity, but we don’t have it. Educate people on what the water utility is before imposing it on us,” said Dube.
Edward Nare, BURA’s organising secretary from Ward 15 in Cowdray Park, added that the city’s failure to educate residents led to unnecessary tensions.
“We are hearing that discussions started in 2011 yet we only know about it today. The truth is that there is a lack of public education regarding council programmes, which is why people become emotional,” he said.
“As BURA, we have always advocated for quarterly meetings between council and residents so that everyone stays informed. The council has a duty to educate residents and explain its actions clearly,” added Nare.
Another BURA representative, Mthulisi Moyo, was concerned that the council had not bothered to explain how the new utility would function.
“There is no understanding of what this water sanitation utility is. Will it have autonomy? Will it have its own management structure? Have systematic issues been addressed? If we establish this, are we sure it will solve inefficiencies with the same technicians, the same staff? How about conducting a forensic investigation into how the council is currently operating before creating this utility?” Moyo suggested.
Khethiwe Ngwenya from Entumbane Ward 10 who attended under the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) also questioned whether the establishment of a water utility meant “council employees had failed?”
Water and environmental activist, Khumbulani Maphosa, raised concerns about commercialising the water system and questioned whether the utility would attract funding given Zimbabwe’s economic challenges.
“The issue of creditworthiness is not about the council; it’s about the country. Zimbabwe struggles to attract investment. Have you conducted a feasibility study to show that a water utility in Bulawayo will succeed?” Maphosa said.
Thamsanqa Ndlovu, the Residents Charter Africa Initiative chairperson, urged the city to establish a think tank to provide transparency before implementing the utility.
“In principle, the idea can work, but we need more analysis. A think tank should evaluate the necessary controls to provide transparency in this new establishment,” said Ndlovu.
The BCC town clerk, Christopher Dube, suggested that the proposed water utility must be established urgently, citing deteriorating infrastructure and funding constraints.
“We are dealing with critical issues. Water is lost due to broken pipes, and we need immediate funding solutions. Once this utility is established, you will see change,” said Dube.
He, however, conceded that council had erred in the past.
Consultations were suspended, and the council resolved to establish a consultative committee comprising councillors, and representatives from BURA, BPRA, and the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA).