Bulawayo Town Clerk Christopher Dube has called on residents and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Bulawayo to support the local authority’s plan to establish a water utility.
This proposal, which the council intends to submit to the government, aims to counter the ongoing push for water privatisation.
The call was made during a meeting organised by CSOs at the Small City Hall on Wednesday.
The meeting brought together council management, councillors, and CSO representatives to discuss the council’s stance on water privatisation.
Recently, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe announced that the government had received approval to invite private investors to take over urban water supply systems.
READ: https://www.zimlive.com/prepaid-water-for-victoria-falls-bulawayo-and-harare-minister/
In response, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has prepared a proposal to create a municipally owned water utility. An earlier plan to collaborate with the Dutch company Vitens Evides International (VEI) was shelved.
READ: https://cite.org.zw/bulawayo-water-utility-proposal-put-on-hold/
Speaking during the meeting, Dube said council wants to set up a water utility, citing its numerous advantages.
“There are two disadvantages I can mention, but they are far fewer compared to the advantages,” said Dube. “The first disadvantage is control—council won’t control water, and water is important. The loss of power is a concern, but mitigation measures will address that. The other disadvantage is that water was subsidising other accounts, like social services, which were not making enough money. That’s a disadvantage, but we will fix it with mitigation measures. Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, which is why we’re saying, let’s go with the utility.”
Dube warned that failure to proceed with the proposal could lead to the government imposing privatisation, leaving the city without control of its water supply.
READ: https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200036793/residents-fume-over-water-privatisation
“The council’s position at the moment is that we are going with the utility—that’s the truth,” he said. “At the moment, the government is talking about privatisation, but we have our own plan. If we fail, the government will impose a private utility company, which you won’t be able to control or access. I don’t know how that will work.”
He added, “We’re speaking about something we own. Let us build it—it’s ours. Some may feel undecided, but I’ve made my choice, and I’m not backtracking. I’ve chosen the utility, and the majority of my management and council support it.”
Dube acknowledged that the council has not yet consulted residents on the utility proposal or the construction of the Glass Block Dam, another critical issue for the city.
“In terms of consultations, as management, we thought of conducting them over the weekend, visiting all wards. We planned to address two issues: the utility and the Glass Block Dam. This dam will serve as a stop-gap measure while waiting for the Gwayi-Shangani Dam construction by the government,” he said.
“However, the councillors suggested we focus first on the dam to avoid complications. The dam’s water will be slightly more expensive but manageable since we’ll blend it with cheaper water from our existing sources. We’ll consult on this and later present the utility proposal.”
Acting Director of Water and Sanitation, Engineer Kwanele Sibanda, confirmed that the local authority is preparing its water utility proposal for government submission.
“The government is pushing for the privatisation of water provision and other services. As Bulawayo, we are finalising our own water utility proposal,” said Eng Sibanda. “This is the right time for us to submit our plan to the government.”
Eng Sibanda explained that the water utility would operate as a corporatised public entity, fully owned by the city, ensuring both autonomy and accountability.
“The governance structure will secure 100% ownership by the city, safeguarding autonomy while delivering water and sanitation services,” said Eng Sibanda.