adminRuth Butaumocho
African Agenda
In developed countries, urban cities are considered as hubs of economic growth and provide spaces for social transformation.
It is also on record that robust and prosperous cities retain capital and investment necessary to generate economic opportunities. These cities do this through good service delivery, prospects of employment through economic zones and good infrastructure.
This probably explains why Cairo, Tunis, Nairobi and Johannesburg are ranked among the 20 African cities that have the potential to become the most dynamic cities on the continent.
According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), in its report as part of the global Cities of Opportunities, the list was created by tracking demographic change, urbanisation, technological changes, the transfer of economic change and climate change.
Looking at cities, there is increasing emphasis on the need for local governments and policy makers to work on policies that focus on service delivery.
It is in this light that Harare residents should welcome the decision by the City of Harare to launch its 9th phase of the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) under the 100-Day Cycle.
Initiated in 2017, RRI is aimed at speeding up the implementation of various projects, including water provision, revenue collection and regularisation of illegal settlements that have sprouted across the city.
If it is implemented holistically and with sincerity to change the waning fortunes of City of Harare in terms of general service delivery, residents should expect to see improvement service delivery across the city.
The holistic implementation will eventually erase years of mismanagement that had become synonymous with the city. Corruption, poor service delivery, ad hoc planning, mismanagement of funds meant for the resuscitation of services across Harare, have for years continued to dog the city.
Dry taps, uncollected garbage, pothole and unmarked roads, dark streets open defecation in alleys, touting and street vending, among others, have all pointed to a comatose of service delivery.
Land barons, working in cahoots with some council employees, have become a cause for concern in urban centres by creating parallel town planning structures.
The recent arrest of 14 council employees on allegations of parcelling out land inappropriately badly tarnishes the image of the local authority and drives away potential investors.
In addition, the City of Harare has had to contend with the management of obsolete equipment and water and sewer infrastructure installed decades ago and are yet to be replaced.
The increased numbers of rural to urban migration has not made the load any easier for local authorities who experience regular water and sewer pipe bursts, naturally overwhelmed by the growing population.
All this might soon be a thing of the past if city fathers commit to ensure that the Rapid Results Initiative is implemented holistically.
Speaking during the launch of the ninth phase at Town House last week, town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said the RRI, which they started implementing in 2017, was an effective tool in ensuring accountability,
“Rapid Results Initiative ensures that there is accountability for results,” he said. “During this period, we will be tracking progress using our monitoring and evaluation division.
“The first dashboard must be submitted every Friday at 4pm. Attendance to the weekly meetings by all team members is compulsory and attendance registers must be maintained.
“We have internal coaches who will be assigned to the teams for technical assistance.”
Eng Chisango expressed optimism in the RRI, which he hoped would chart a new trajectory in timeous service provision and delivery.
Of major concern to the residents of Harare would be the provision of water, across all suburbia to solve the perennial shortages.
Presently, the majority of residents in Harare are reeling under severe shortages, with some suburbs going for weeks without potable water.
Many residential areas in Harare have become what British urbanist and sociologist Abdou Maliq Simone refers to “pirate cities”.
Pirate cities are residential areas in which people must rely on pirate operators such as mobile water vendors or illegal electricity connections in the absence of genuine local authorities’ engagement.
The city council, which needs 1 400 megalitres of water daily, has been providing half of this to residents, forcing the majority to buy water for household use or worse still, fetch from unprotected wells that have been dug in most residential areas.
Solutions to persistent water shortages in the capital is what City of Harare needs to work on as part of its short and long-term projects.
In the short term, the City of Harare needs to prioritise accelerated pipe replacement complemented by swift reaction to repair burst pipes.
On too many occasions, Harare residents have often watched in awe as millions of litres of treated water go to waste through burst water pipes that take ages to be repaid.
With reports that of the daily water requirements, 50 percent is lost along the reticulation network, it becomes imperative to revamp the archaic piping system.
In the long run, the municipal should also consider investing in the infrastructural development of existing water plants like Morton Jaffray Water Works, or the construction of new water sources.
With cities driving the country’s agenda of attaining the middle income status by 2030 through service delivery, the City of Harare would need to fully utilise its recently launched Rapid Results Initiative and prioritise water provision to the majority of its ratepayers.
Online Reporter