Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
HARARE City Council has urged residents of Dzivaresekwa Ward 39 to improve payment of municipal rates to enable the local authority to sustain service delivery, as major infrastructure projects, including water, sewer and road upgrades, near completion in the suburb.
The call was made at a Ward 39 residents’ feedback meeting held at Dzivaresekwa 3 Community Hall on Saturday, where residents engaged council officials on water supply, sewer reticulation, roads, refuse collection, billing, public lighting and housing.
The meeting was attended by Ward 39 Councillor Stephen Dhliwayo, Ward 40 Councillor Knowledge Bote, Ward 45 Councillor and Chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee Jubilation Shoko, Region 4 area manager Mrs Marian Mverechena, council officials and residents.
Councillor Dhliwayo said several long-delayed development projects were now close to completion, signalling renewed momentum in service delivery across Dzivaresekwa district.
“We are beginning to see tangible progress on projects that residents have waited decades to see completed. Our water reservoir is now about 95 percent complete, the district office is nearing completion and road works are progressing despite limited resources. We appreciate the support from the City of Harare, the Mayor, our business community and residents who have partnered with us to make these projects a reality,” he said.
He said construction of the new Dzivarasekwa District Office, which will serve Wards 39, 40 and 45, had resumed after years of inactivity.
“The original plans for this office were drawn in 1987 and construction stalled in 1998 before resuming in 2022. Through partnerships with local businesses and informal traders, we have managed to push the project close to completion. This demonstrates the importance of public-private partnerships in accelerating development,” said Clr Dhliwayo.
He said residents were already benefiting from the ongoing City of Harare and Helcraw Water partnership, which is replacing ageing water infrastructure and installing prepaid smart water meters.
“We experienced temporary water interruptions because of the infrastructure upgrades, but once the rehabilitation programme is completed we expect residents to receive water up to five days a week. Many households that previously struggled to access water are already seeing significant improvements,” he said.
The City of Harare is implementing the Helcraw Water partnership to replace ageing pipelines, install smart prepaid water meters and modernise water infrastructure as part of wider efforts to improve billing accuracy, reduce water losses and increase water availability across the capital.
Residents also raised concerns over drainage, sewer blockages, illegal dumping, housing waiting lists and road conditions.
Council officials advised that sewer rehabilitation works were underway while drainage clearance and gravel patching had been carried out along Robert Mugabe Road, Musika Drive and Tuteri Road using newly commissioned excavators acquired by the local authority.
Speaking on waste management, Region Four Area Manager Mrs Marian Mverechena said refuse collection services had improved.
“Residents will soon begin receiving bin liners as part of our waste management programme. We are also working with our partners to conduct cleanliness awareness campaigns. Refuse collection in Dzivarasekwa is now taking place twice every week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we encourage communities to play their part by disposing of waste responsibly,” she said.
She added that Geo Pomona Waste Management only collected refuse in areas that complied with agreed waste collection arrangements and appealed to residents to eliminate illegal dumping.
Finance and Development Committee Chairperson Councillor Jubilation Shoko urged residents to honour their financial obligations to enable the city to sustain essential services.
He said only about 14 percent of Ward 39 residents were paying their municipal bills, far below the approximately 75 percent collection rate required for sustainable service delivery.
Clr Shoko said council was considering integrating water purchases with outstanding municipal accounts so that residents using prepaid smart water meters could gradually settle their rates while purchasing water credits.
The proposal comes as the City of Harare continues migrating from the Sage billing platform to the new BIQ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which has already introduced new billing and receipting modules aimed at improving billing accuracy, financial accountability and revenue collection. The city says the new system will eventually provide residents with improved digital services, including electronic billing and enhanced customer account management.
Councillor Dhliwayo welcomed the proposed billing reforms.
“Residents have consistently asked for a simpler and more convenient way of paying their obligations. If water purchases can also assist households to gradually clear outstanding rates, it will strengthen revenue collection while ensuring that service delivery continues to improve,” he said.
He also highlighted improvements in public lighting, saying three high-mast tower lights had already been installed, with another scheduled for installation, while the ward’s libraries had been modernised with computers, internet connectivity and digital services.
On housing, residents raised concerns over waiting lists and council rental accommodation. Councillor Dhliwayo said discussions on rented council houses would be addressed at a joint meeting involving Wards 39, 40 and 45 to develop a coordinated approach.
The feedback meeting formed part of the City of Harare’s ongoing engagement programme aimed at strengthening accountability, improving communication with residents and gathering community input on service delivery priorities.
