Harare Mayor His Worship Cllr Jacob Mafume
By Dickson Bandera
Cabinet has approved a proposal to privatize Harare Waste Management to counter the persistent waste management crisis in the capital city.
This move aims to establish a sustainable solution by transferring the mandate to a private entity, ensuring consistent service delivery and adherence to environmental standards—a stark contrast to the ongoing challenges faced under municipal management.
Despite collecting rates earmarked for waste management from residents, the Harare City Council has struggled to provide adequate services.
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Honourable D. Garwe, presented the privatization proposal to Cabinet, citing the Council’s failure to deliver, and the way forward.
“Despite levying and collecting rates for waste management, and having legislative support, the City Council has consistently failed to implement functional solid waste management systems,” noted Minister Garwe.
“Evidence of this failure includes uncollected garbage heaps and illegal dumpsites across the city,” he added.
Mandated by the 2nd and 3rd schedules of the Urban Councils Act, the council is legally obligated to manage effluent, refuse, and human waste within its jurisdiction.
In the past, the city council diligently managed waste, preventing litter from becoming a major problem in the capital. However, scheduled refuse collection has ceased in residential and business areas, leaving residents with few options. Consequently, people are illegally dumping litter in various parts of the city, exacerbating the problem.
Harare aimed to achieve a world-class status by 2025 but the status quo reflects a missed target.
Last year, President Mnangagwa declared the waste situation in Harare a state of national disaster. Authorities have launched Operation Chenesa Harare with agencies like Environmental Management Agency and the Department of Civil Protection participating. The operations have made significant progress but concerns remain on sustainability.
In most cases, litter often reappears shortly after dumpsites are cleared.
The root of the problem has evidently been located in the City Council’s inefficiencies.
Sadly, poor sanitation has led to disease outbreaks like cholera, as contaminated water and food spread the disease.
Following last year’s cholera epidemic, Zimbabwe reported 25,780 cases and 470 deaths by February. Children were particularly vulnerable, constituting a third of all cases.
Government and partners managed to contain the outbreak through various measures, including drilling boreholes, training health officers, and vaccination campaigns. By mid-February this year, 1.5 million people had received oral cholera vaccines, significantly mitigating the crisis.
Health experts are working to improve sanitation practices to prevent future cholera outbreaks and sustain control.
Privatizing Harare Waste Management is a critical step toward achieving this objective. Private companies will deliver more efficient and reliable waste management services, leveraging their expertise and resources.
The successful privatization of Pomona dumpsite is a good example of what privatisation can achieve.
This success has bolstered support for further privatization efforts in Harare’s waste management sector. Privatizing waste management not only promises immediate improvements in service delivery but also holds long-term benefits for the city’s environment and public health.
“The Harare City Council has formally requested that the Central Government take over the collection of solid waste management, citing the local authority’s inability to perform the mandate as expected,” said Hon Garwe.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is now putting in place functional systems, companies, and institutions to collect refuse.
This strategic shift is evidence of the government’s dedication to promoting environmental sustainability through enhanced public-private partnerships.
By leveraging private sector expertise and resources, the initiative seeks to streamline operations, improve waste management efficiency, and mitigate environmental impact, aligning with broader goals of sustainable urban development.
The government is taking action to establish sustainable waste management practices in Harare, leveraging private expertise and investment to address current challenges and prevent future crises.
