Bulawayo councillors have expressed differing views on water privatisation, with some warning that private operators could undermine public control while others have backed prepaid water systems as a way to improve revenue collection and curb wastage.
The debate took place at a water privatisation dialogue in Bulawayo on Thursday, held as part of the Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation.
Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu said local authorities needed greater financial support and decision-making powers to improve water service delivery, arguing that centralised control and limited resources hampered their ability to respond to infrastructure problems.
“The governance structure should look at how local authorities are financed. We find that in other countries there is heavy financing of local authorities, yet in our situation we are expected to carry out all these activities under very stringent circumstances. When you look at the city, everything is so centralised within the ministry,” Ndlovu said.
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He cited the procurement of water infrastructure materials as an example of the constraints facing the council, saying lengthy approval processes could delay repairs.
“When there is a pipe burst, you have to first of all report and a company has to come and assess the specification, the size of the pipe and the thickness of the pipe. The city council has no authority to make direct purchases of those particular infrastructure requirements,” he said.
Ndlovu also warned that private companies would seek to make a profit, potentially creating tension between commercial interests and the provision of affordable water.
“Companies don’t exist just to provide charitable services, they are there to make profit,” he said.
He argued that if the council engaged a private company, the arrangement should preserve municipal involvement and prevent the local authority from losing control of water services.
“Cost recovery issues are going to be a problem, but yet a private company must make profit. If we are going to engage a private company, let’s engage this company as a service provider, and we also have a stake, so as to avoid the scenarios where you end up having a situation where the local authority is sidelined,” Ndlovu said.
However, other councillors argued that technology, including prepaid water meters, could help address revenue collection challenges and discourage excessive consumption.
Ward 2 councillor Adrian Moyo said illegal water connections were among the problems affecting the city’s water management system.
“There are people with JoJo tanks that are directly connected to the water system and they don’t pay, but with technology those gaps will be closed. What we need to do is to figure out how we can migrate to a system that does not burden residents,” Moyo said.
Ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu said the council faced difficulties collecting revenue as the city expanded, with employees struggling to reach every household.
“When you look at the collection efficiency of the council, we are failing very much on the part of our main carriers. Look at how Bulawayo has expanded, and imagine how many thousands of workers would be needed to knock on each and every property to collect revenue,” he said.
Mahlangu cited security concerns, including locked gates and dogs, as further obstacles to collecting payments.
He said prepaid water systems could help improve collection efficiency and encourage residents to use water more responsibly by making consumption costs more visible.
“When we are going forward, certainly, prepaid water solutions is the best option,” Mahlangu said.
“It is easier to use the technology, because people are not going to waste the water. When you get under the shower, you start thinking about the water and your metre,” he added.
However, Mahlangu distinguished his support for prepaid systems from a complete transfer of water services to private ownership.
“At the present moment, you can bathe for three hours under the shower and not consider how much water you’re using. So, paying for the water is the way to go. But under municipalisation, not total privatisation,” he said.
The councillors’ differing positions highlight the debate over how Bulawayo should finance and manage its water services, including whether greater private sector involvement or improved public sector capacity and technology would best address the city’s challenges.
Mahlangu also urged councillors to take responsibility for policy decisions while explaining the benefits and drawbacks of proposed changes to residents.
“As council we are no longer activists, we are policy makers and we need to tell the residents the truth, the disadvantages and advantages of why we are doing this,” he said.
He argued that councillors should balance public consultation with their responsibility to make decisions on behalf of their constituents.
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