Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE air was thick with frustration and unease as Glen View 1 residents emerged from a day’s meeting recently (March 30, 2026) deliberating the Harare City Council’s controversial decision to install pre-paid water meters, without consulting
them.
A similar situation arose in the nearby suburb — Budiriro 3 — a day later, where residents voiced strong opposition, specifically given the widespread lack of piped water in many Harare City Council-managed urban communities.
With Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) present at both meetings, the controversial project, funded by a US$400 million loan from China, has left many Zimbabweans feeling betrayed by the local authority’s failure to protect the constitutional right to safe, clean water.
Public trust has been severely undermined.
As participants entered their respective meetings, the palpable tension was undeniable.
Residents, water and legal experts came together to share their concerns, united in the belief that the policy shift runs contrary to the country’s laws and obligations.
“We’re being forced to pay first before we can even access a basic human need,” lamented Augustine Chonyera from Glen View 1, ward 32.
“This is a clear violation of our rights and it’s leaving the most vulnerable in our society without access to water.”
Another resident, Dumiso Sibanda from ward 30, said: “We were not consulted about these prepaid water meter installations by the city council.
“Our councillor did not call a meeting to inform us or hear our views, leaving residents excluded from decisions that directly affect their access to water.”
Across the room, nods of agreement and murmurs of discontent echoed the sentiments.
The meeting was a platform for the Community Water Alliance (CWA) to help residents to voice their perceptions, grapple with the legal implications and demand accountability from their elected officials.
The introduction of the controversial pre-paid water meters in Harare comes at a time when the city’s water infrastructure is visibly deteriorating and crumbling.
Burst pipes, failing treatment systems and erratic water supplies have become the norm, leaving residents to bear the brunt of the crisis.
“Harare’s water infrastructure is crumbling, leading to severe leakages, shortages and poor quality. Introducing pre-paid water meters now, without addressing these fundamental issues, unfairly burdens residents,” stated Timothy Chitambure advocacy officer for CWA.
“Nearly 5 000 kilometres of Harare’s underground pipes, roughly the distance to Cape Town, urgently need repair. Promising to restore water without fixing this network is unrealistic and will fail residents,” he added.
“We’re expected to pay for a service that is unreliable and substandard,” stated an agitated Frank Mugari from Budiriro 3.
“It’s like being charged for a car that doesn’t even have wheels!”
Residents recounted stories of having to fetch water from community boreholes, queuing for hours and the ever-present fear of their taps running dry and the fear of diseases like cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
The burden falls heaviest on the city’s most vulnerable, who are forced to make difficult choices between paying for water or securing other basic necessities.
“This policy shift will push us further into poverty,” lamented Sarah, a single mother of three, at the meeting in Budiriro 3.
“How am I supposed to feed my family and pay for water at the same time?”
As the deliberations delved deeper, the legal implications of the pre-paid water meters came into sharp focus.
The lawyers from ZLHR cited section 77 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which guarantees every person’s right to safe, clean and potable water, and places a duty on the State and local authorities to ensure this right is realised.
“The manner in which these pre-paid water meters are being introduced is a clear violation of country’s Constitution,” argued Emmanuel Chibwe, one of the lawyers representing ZLHR.
“The local authority has clearly failed to meaningfully consult with local citizens and ensure equitable access to water.”
Chibwe added that the Urban Councils Act governs council procedures, public consultations and service delivery obligations, all central to meeting discussions.
Frustration mounted as residents recounted how their concerns and protests have been largely ignored by the Harare City Council, especially with councillors not in sight.
The sense of betrayal was palpable, as they felt their fundamental rights were being trampled upon.
“We’re not just talking about a policy change here,” said Chonyera.
“This is about government’s failure to uphold its own laws and listen to the voices of its people.”
As the two meetings drew to a close, residents were united in their determination to find a way forward, especially with the encouragement by CWA in collaboration with ZLHR to petition Parliament and government ministers, going forward, over these seemingly unstoppable installations.
Calls for Harare City Council to halt the installation of pre-paid water meters and engage in genuine consultations with the community echoed throughout the two meetings.
Residents also emphasised the need for inclusive, long-term solutions that prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable.
Suggestions ranged from seriously investing in the city’s crumbling infrastructure to exploring alternative water distribution models that ensure equitable access.
“We can’t just keep reacting to these short-sighted policies,” said Joyline Nyachuru, WASH [water, sanitation and hygiene] officer for CWA, who exposed residents to a simple but effective water recycling and cleansing mechanism being promoted by CWA.
Impressed by this modest and operative home-based technology, residents left with a renewed determination to continue their fight for their fundamental right to access clean water, vowing to hold their local leaders accountable and to amplify their voices until meaningful change is achieved.
The two councillors for Glen View 1 and Budiriro 3 did not attend the meetings despite invitations being extended to them.
They were also not available for comment.
However, in a latest notice, the City of Harare announced that it has resumed pumping water to greater Harare on Monday March 30 night, following the completion of major repair work at Warren Control in Warren Park.
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