Harare Residents Burdened with Water Charges Amid Tap Shortages

Harare – Between 2008 and 2009, Zimbabwe faced a cholera crisis that claimed over 4,000 lives and left nearly 100,000 individuals ill.

The severe repercussions in Harare and nearby suburbs highlighted the city’s aging infrastructure.

The government obtained a $144 million loan from China Exim Bank aimed at overhauling the city’s water treatment system.

Despite promises of improvements, the desired progress has not occurred, leading the city to request residents to finance the costs via a water levy introduced in March.

This loan was intended to upgrade water treatment facilities, pump stations, and install prepaid meters for 500,000 households.

Nearly two decades later, residents are left to repay a loan that they believe has yielded no benefits.

“If there had actually been improvements in the water situation, it might be reasonable,” commented Prudence Hanyani, a long-term resident of Mabvuku, a suburb of the capital.

“We haven’t witnessed any infrastructure advancements or improved services. So what are we paying for?”

A World Bank report from 2015 noted that Harare’s daily water production has steadily declined due to a combination of factors, including neglected maintenance, contamination, and leaks in the distribution network.

In 2005, the city generated around 600 megaliters daily, equivalent to 600 million liters or 158.5 million gallons—enough to fill 240 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

By 2008, this output had dropped to about 400 megaliters, fluctuating between 400 and 600 megaliters in subsequent years.

As of February this year, however, the supply has further dwindled to just 350 megaliters per day.

To adequately serve its residents and businesses, Harare needs over three times this amount—approximately 1,200 megaliters daily (317 million gallons), states Hardlife Mudzingwa, director of the advocacy organization Community Water Alliance.

“What should be the government’s responsibility is now being transferred to average households already facing economic challenges,” Mudzingwa remarked as he called on the government for a detailed account of how the funds were utilized.

According to Hanyani, taps in Mabvuku have run dry since around 2000, meaning residents have been without running water for decades.

Managing six children, she now spends up to $3 daily on water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and sanitation—an additional strain in a country where the average monthly household income fell to just $88 in 2024.

Additionally, she must now contend with a new water levy of $1 each month.

Zimbabwe faces a substantial gap in infrastructure funding.

It is estimated that $2 billion is needed annually until 2032, with only 20% being provided by the government.

Key projects, including upgrades to the Harare water and sewer systems and major dam constructions, are mostly financed through loans, particularly from China Exim Bank.

However, many of these projects, including the Harare upgrades, have stalled after loan disbursements were halted due to contract violations.

Zimbabwe sought loans from China in the early 2000s primarily because access to traditional financing sources was limited due to economic sanctions, political isolation, and declining credit ratings.

China emerged as a willing lender, providing infrastructure loans under its Belt and Road initiative and Zimbabwe’s Look East policy.

Despite this, the country struggles to repay these loans, leading to significant arrears.

In 2018, China Exim Bank issued a $153 million concessional loan for expanding the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

This project aimed to increase the airport’s capacity from 2.5 million to 6 million passengers annually but has faced delays and financial mismanagement.

By the end of 2021, Zimbabwe had accrued $3 million in arrears on this loan.

Similarly, the Victoria Falls Airport Renovation and Expansion Project, supported by a $149.9 million loan issued in 2012, was completed in 2016 but still saw arrears reach $54 million by the end of 2021.

The Chinese loan designated for water and sewer projects was secured while various partners supported infrastructure improvements in the sector, as noted by Mudzingwa.

Following the 2008 cholera outbreak, additional support came from the United Nations Children’s Fund, the African Development Bank, and the World Bank.

In Harare, much of that funding suffered from mismanagement, as the city failed to engage residents during project planning or implement sufficient systems for tracking revenue, managing budgets, and preventing fraud.

This has resulted in ongoing uncertainty about how the funds were spent, leaving millions of Zimbabweans without access to safe, reliable water.

The China Exim Bank water loan featured an 11-year repayment term with a four-year grace period and variable interest around 3.5%.

Though the project officially began in 2013, progress halted when Zimbabwe’s failure to repay a prior loan led to a freeze on disbursements.

This previous loan aimed at renovating the inactive state-owned steel enterprise Ziscosteel, which was never undertaken.

Harare City Council allocated $8 million from the water treatment loan to purchase 25 luxury vehicles.

The council argued that these vehicles were vital for service delivery, which the lender contested.

By 2017, only half of the loans had been disbursed, and disbursements remained frozen through 2020.

As of 2021, the Harare water project represented nearly $67 million in unpaid debt.

In total, Zimbabwe owes China Exim Bank over $260 million in arrears across various sectors, including telecommunications, airports, and defense.

“We are the ones consuming the water,” stated Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume.

“Surely, if Harare residents are using the water, they should finance it themselves rather than relying on tax contributions from some Chipinge resident busy pursuing a big frog.”

Ward 16 councillor Denford Ngadziore demands an audit.

“If anyone misused the funds, they should face prosecution. I proposed this in a full council meeting, but my colleagues disagreed,” he remarked.

“We cannot expect residents to pay back a loan without a transparent report on how it was utilized.”

Mafume maintains that all measures taken were proper, asserting that the Land Rover Defenders and Amarok pickup trucks acquired for the project are not luxury items and that progress has been hampered by the utility’s inability to buy water treatment chemicals, costing about $3 million monthly, according to his office.

“Overall, the equipment procured is available for anyone to inspect. Importantly, the new pumps show a significant performance improvement compared to the old ones,” he noted.

“The old pumps are prone to failure at any time. The work conducted by the Chinese at the plant is evident.”

Mudzingwa disputes the mayor’s assertions regarding the fulfillment of promised equipment upgrades.

“There’s no visible infrastructure to validate the expenses. Now, residents have to repay for a loan they never benefitted from. That’s simply unfair,” he says.

Mudzingwa warns that this levy sets a precedent for everyday citizens to shoulder the financial burden of loan projects tainted by improper processes, lack of transparency, and unaccountable governance.

Zimbabwe’s predicament echoes similar challenges faced by other countries reliant on Chinese infrastructure funding.

Zambia canceled $1.6 billion in undisbursed Chinese loans in 2022 amid a growing debt crisis, while Sri Lanka had to grant a Chinese company a 99-year lease on a recently constructed port after defaulting on related loans from China.

In Mabvuku, the water crisis is intensely personal.

Violet Razau, a hairdresser and mother of two, has lived in the area since 1998.

“As a child, I used to water our garden with a hose. My 13-year-old son has never seen that. Now, I can’t even get a single drop from council taps, so why should I pay?”

For Hanyani’s 70-year-old mother, Precious Mudimu, aging has heightened the crisis.

“I can’t carry water buckets. I depend on others for help, but they are not always around. I’m old; I can’t work to cover these levies,” she laments.

“This place feels like a desert.”

*Linda Mujuru is a Global Press Journal Reporter-in-Residence based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Linda is one of Global Press’ most widely read and syndicated journalists. In 2023, she was awarded the Community Champion Award from the

*This story was originally published by Global Press Journal, which provides bold, investigative, and in-depth explanatory reporting on the world’s most pressing issues.