Bulawayo Councillors Clash Over Water Privatisation

By Staff Reporter

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — Bulawayo councillors have expressed differing views on the proposed privatisation of water services, with some warning of risks to public control and affordability while others advocate prepaid water meters to improve revenue collection and reduce wastage.

The debate emerged during a water privatisation dialogue held in Bulawayo on Thursday as part of the Africa Week of Action Against Water Privatisation.

Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu argued that the city’s water challenges could be addressed by strengthening local authorities through increased funding and greater decision-making powers rather than handing services over to private companies.

He said centralised decision-making and restrictive procurement procedures were hampering the council’s ability to respond swiftly to infrastructure failures.

“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,” Ndlovu said.

He called for reforms to local government financing, arguing that councils needed adequate resources to fulfil their responsibilities and improve service delivery.

Ndlovu also cautioned that private operators would seek profits, potentially creating conflict between commercial interests and residents’ need for affordable water.

“Companies don’t exist just to provide charitable services, they are there to make profit,” he said.

He added that any partnership with private companies should retain a meaningful role for the municipality to prevent the council from losing control over water provision.

“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, Ward 2 councillor Adrian Moyo argued that technology could help address some of the city’s water management challenges, including illegal connections and consumption that goes unbilled.

Moyo said some residents had JoJo water tanks connected directly to the municipal supply without paying for the water consumed.

“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,” he said.

Moyo said the city needed to explore systems that would improve accountability without placing an additional burden on residents.

Ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu also backed prepaid water systems, saying the council faced difficulties collecting revenue as Bulawayo expanded.

He said relying on employees to visit properties and collect payments had become increasingly challenging, with security concerns such as locked gates and dogs further complicating the process.

“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,” Mahlangu said.

He argued that prepaid meters could improve collection efficiency while encouraging households to monitor their water consumption more closely.

“When you get under the shower, you start thinking about the water and your metre,” he said.

However, Mahlangu stressed that his support for prepaid systems should not be interpreted as backing the complete privatisation of water services.

“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 debate highlights differing views within Bulawayo City Council over how to address water infrastructure challenges, improve revenue collection and promote responsible consumption while protecting residents’ access to affordable services.

The councillors also highlighted the need for elected representatives to explain the implications of policy decisions to residents.

Mahlangu said councillors had a responsibility to communicate both the benefits and drawbacks of proposed changes rather than approach the issue solely as activists.

“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 maintained that councillors needed to balance public consultation with their responsibility to make policy decisions on behalf of residents.