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Kuwadzana meeting in retrospect
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
September 30, 2013

The Combined Harare Residents Association held a public consultative meeting at Kuwadzana 2 community centre on Friday, 27 September 2013. The meeting was meant to provide residents a platform to air out their views concerning the pilot project meant to test the compatibility of pre-paid water meters. Residents in their hundreds rejected the proposal unanimously adding that it will adversely affect their subsistence activities subsequently denying them with the right to access water without economic hustles. Below is a brief report on the issues tackled during this meeting.

Presentations

Councillor E. Mangwiro (Ward 37)

• Residents must take seriously issues and meetings organised by CHRA and other civic bodies because Councilors use these meetings to gather the views of residents and then inform Council’s decisions.
• Water provision in the City remains a challenge and currently there are some refurbishments at Morton Jaffrey to increase water supply.
• The challenges that affected residents 5 years ago are still the same; however, there is need to focus much on results (output) on the performance of elected leadership in order to develop Kuwadzana community.

Timothy Kazuva (Community Water Alliance)

• Water is a fundamental human right as enshrined in the Zimbabwe Constitution Section 77 (2), citizens must demand it from government and the idea of installing prepaid meters will deny citizens their right to water.
• Pre-paid water meters/smart water meters mean that residents will pay for a service not provided
• Smart water meters work using electricity and this will have a bearing on the electricity consumption. It also means that if there is no electricity for more than 8 hour, residents will not be able to access water
• Water sustains the household economy through gardening, sanitation and hygiene.
• The decision to install house hold pre paid meters will have a bearing on the low income families which were not consulted on the misguided decision of privatising water hence only those with money will have access.
• The Integrated Water Resource Management put women first and they are key in formulating any project or policy relating to water.
• Citizens must unite and reject the prepaid water system just like what happened in South Africa.
• The Capitalists from China will be supplying the water meters from the $144 million loan given to City by the Chinese government but there is no clear framework as to how the locals will benefit from this arrangement since all this money will be invested in their economy aswell.

Mehluli Dube (Crisis Coalition)

• The culture of non consultation of residents in decision making process has taken root in Zimbabwe despite the fact that the policy framework has such provisions that provides for consultation
• The water problems in Harare is not about water meters but water produced which can’t meet demand and the decision to install prepaid meters will not improve the amount of water produced.
• Harare City Council must go and repair leaks with purified water gushing out around the City than installing prepaid water meters.
• The idea of installing prepaid meters is not “reasonable” as required by the supreme law of the land and Harare City Council does not have the capacity to install prepaid meters in the whole city.
• Water belongs to God but repressive laws indicate otherwise in a bid to oppress citizens.

Israel Mabhoo (Harare Water Taskforce)

• The Harare City Council must focus on alternatives to municipal piped water since the long term solutions of building dams have failed to kick start.
• Privatisation of water is allowed in Zimbabwe yet the Water Act does not allow such arrangements and many companies are bottling municipal water and making money at the expense of the poor.
• Residents must unite in fighting water privatisation in Zimbabwe of which prepaid water meters is another form of water privatisation

Issues from the plenary

• Some houses and stands are getting free water
• Council made a unilateral decision without consulting the residents
• Residents need water not prepaid water meters
• Considering the fact that the meters work with electricity, those who can’t buy electricity will not have water
• Councilors must inform the City of Harare Officials that residents have rejected the project.
• Council is dictating and imposing decisions on poor residents

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