Online Reporter
THE recent death of three people in an open sewer pit in Budiriro 3 is not a tragedy of fate.
It is a tragedy of negligence, of a local authority that abandoned its most fundamental duty: to protect the lives of the very people it is mandated to serve.
The sewer excavation, dug in September last year and left unguarded and unsecured for months, claimed lives that could have been saved by the simplest of safety measures — a barrier, a warning sign and basic supervision.
This is the face of Local Government failure in Zimbabwe today.
And it is far from an isolated incident.
The Budiriro disaster is symptomatic of a deeper rot within the City of Harare and, by extension, many of the country’s 92 local authorities.
In high-density suburbs across the capital — Budiriro, Glen View, Mbare — broken sewage pipes have turned streams into open sewers, potholes have become so deep they are now dubbed “drumholes” and residents go for days without running water.
Cholera outbreaks have become endemic.
Meanwhile, internal audits have revealed that some councils spend up to 80 percent of their revenue on bloated salaries, luxury vehicles and endless workshops, leaving less than 20 percent for actual service delivery.
Ratepayers across the country are getting a raw deal.
They pay for services that do not exist — water that does not flow and roads that are impassable.
The gap between what residents pay and what they receive has become a chasm, with devastating consequences for public health, economic productivity and human dignity.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe put it bluntly at the 2025 Local Authorities’ Performance Evaluation Feedback Session last week: “Service delivery is the only metric that matters.”
He declared the era of service delivery neglect and financial mismanagement was over, warning that under Statutory Instrument (SI) 69 of 2026, the ministry would “relentlessly, ruthlessly and brutally penalise non-compliant and non-performing officials”.
Sanctions will include suspension and dismissal of town clerks, chief executive officers and mayors.
This is the kind of strong language that residents have been waiting for years to hear.
But words must be matched by action.
The Government has taken an important step by gazetting SI 170 of 2025, which establishes minimum service delivery standards indicators for local authorities.
Under these regulations, urban councils are required to achieve piped water coverage of 90 percent by next year, provide 50 litres to 100 litres of clean water per person daily, maintain a minimum visual condition index of 55 percent on roads and ensure regular refuse collection and functional public lighting.
These are no longer suggestions — they are legal baselines upon which councils will survive or fail.
There is a direct and unbreakable correlation between efficient service delivery and the quality of life of the people.
When water flows cleanly and reliably, children can attend school healthy and families can maintain proper hygiene.
When roads are passable, businesses can transport goods and workers can reach their workplaces on time.
When refuse is collected regularly, diseases are kept at bay.
When streets are lit, people can move safely at night.
Conversely, when councils fail, the consequences are measured in sickness, lost livelihoods and, as Budiriro has shown, lost lives.
The three who perished in that sewer pit did not die because of a natural disaster or an unavoidable accident. They died because the City of Harare failed in its duty of care.
Four council officials have since been arrested on allegations of negligently causing the deaths.
But accountability must go higher — to the systems and cultures that allow such negligence to become routine.
President Mnangagwa’s directive of “No Compromise to Service Delivery” must be enforced with the full weight of the law.
The Government must ensure that the penalties promised are delivered, that underperforming officials are held accountable and that the standards set in SI 170 of 2025 are not merely aspirational but are rigorously monitored and enforced.
The Combined Harare Residents Association has rightly called for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission to investigate the recurring pattern of council negligence.
This is a welcome move.
Residents must also be empowered to use the new regulations as a legal basis to demand better services.
Local authorities are the level of Government closest to the people.
They are responsible for the services that touch every aspect of daily life — water, sanitation, roads, health and housing.
When they fail, the entire fabric of society frays.
The Budiriro tragedy is a stark reminder that negligence is not a victimless crime.
It kills!
The Government must ensure that no family ever again has to bury a loved one because a council left a hole in the ground unguarded and forgot its duty to protect the living.
