Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
RESIDENTS of Ward 31 in Glen View South have commended improvements in refuse collection under the City of Harare’s partnership with Geo Pomona Waste Management while urging the local authority to expedite the rollout of prepaid smart water meters and continue strengthening service delivery across the suburb.
The sentiments emerged during a Ward 31 residents’ feedback meeting held at Glen View New Hall on Saturday, where council officials updated residents on progress in water and sewer services, roads, waste management, health services, billing and public lighting.
The meeting comes as the City of Harare continues implementing a number of service delivery reforms, including the expansion of the Geo Pomona Waste Management partnership, the replacement of ageing water infrastructure through its partnership with Helcraw Water and the rollout of more than 70 000 smart water meters across several suburbs. The city has also been modernising its financial management systems through the BIQ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform alongside Sage to improve billing accuracy, revenue collection and financial accountability.
Ward 31 Councillor Joshua Pedzisai said residents had acknowledged the marked improvement in refuse collection, describing the partnership with Geo Pomona as one of the city’s notable service delivery successes.
“Residents are pleased with the improvements in waste collection brought about through the partnership between the City of Harare and Geo Pomona. There is now a visible difference in the cleanliness of our communities and residents want to see this progress sustained through more strategic partnerships,” said Clr Pedzisai.
He said residents were also eager for the Helcraw Water prepaid smart water meter programme to be extended to Glen View.
“Our residents cannot wait for the smart water meters to reach Glen View. They believe the programme will improve access to water, eliminate estimated billing and allow households to pay only for the water they actually consume. There is great excitement about the project and residents are encouraging the City and Helcraw Water to prioritise Glen View,” he said.
Clr Pedzisai added that residents hoped revenue collected through council levies would continue improving emergency services, including ambulances.
“Residents appreciate the efforts being made by the City of Harare, but they also want to see further improvements, particularly in ambulance services. They have suggested that, where possible, emergency services be strengthened at ward level to ensure quicker response times. Above all, residents are encouraging the City to continue forming partnerships that improve service delivery.”
Responding to concerns over water supply and sewer services, Water and Sewer representative Mr Majowa said many reported faults took longer to attend to because properties were difficult to locate.
He urged residents to display visible house and stand numbers to enable maintenance teams to respond more efficiently.
“We encourage residents to report burst pipes and sewer blockages as soon as they occur. One of the challenges our teams face is locating properties because many houses do not have visible numbers. If stand numbers are clearly displayed, our response time will improve significantly,” he said.
Mr Majowa explained that Glen View generally receives water from Monday to Thursday under the city’s water distribution programme, with scheduled interruptions on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to ensure equitable distribution across Harare.
“When water supply resumes after scheduled shutdowns, air is often forced through the pipelines before water reaches consumers. This process can sometimes result in bursts and sewer blockages. These are unfortunate consequences of a system designed to ensure that all residents across the city receive a fair share of the available water,” he said.
He also appealed to residents to acknowledge the efforts being made by council employees.
“We appreciate constructive criticism, but we also encourage residents to recognise the good work being done by City of Harare employees. Our teams work under challenging conditions to restore services as quickly as possible.”
Mr Majowa noted that temporary closures of public ablution facilities were usually linked to interruptions in water supplies rather than poor management.
Geo Pomona Waste Management representative said while household refuse collection had improved significantly, illegal dumping remained a major challenge.
“We are pleased that residents have recognised the improvements in refuse collection. Our teams are collecting waste from households regularly, but illegal dumping continues to undermine these efforts. Some residents have become accustomed to disposing of waste at undesignated sites despite the availability of collection services. We urge everyone to make use of the scheduled refuse collection so that together we can keep Glen View clean,” the representative said.
On roads and public infrastructure, council officials said preparations were underway to improve road signage and storm-water management.
“Our roads and streets require proper identification and we are introducing a programme to restore street names, install speed hump signs and clear storm-water drains before the onset of the rainy season to reduce flooding,” officials told residents.
Health and Licensing officials assured residents that council clinics remained committed to providing primary health care services.
They said the city continued to engage locum nurses whenever staffing levels were low to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services while also implementing programmes under the Community Health Equity Fund to improve access to healthcare.
Residents also raised concerns over billing, calling for improved access to refuse bins and bin liners similar to previous council programmes.
Addressing the meeting, Glen View District Officer Mr Kudakwashe Mpingashato commended residents for attending the feedback meeting and encouraged them to continue working closely with the local authority in safeguarding community infrastructure.
“Meaningful development is achieved when residents and the City work together. Community participation is essential in identifying challenges early, protecting public infrastructure and ensuring that service delivery programmes benefit everyone in the ward. We encourage residents to continue engaging constructively with the City so that together we build a cleaner, healthier and more organised Glen View,” he said.
Region 3 Area Manager Mr Mugove Chabuda urged residents to honour their financial obligations to enable the City of Harare to improve service delivery across the capital.
“The City relies on revenue collected from rates and service charges to repair roads, maintain water and sewer infrastructure, provide refuse collection, operate clinics and improve other essential services. We therefore encourage all residents who are able to do so to pay their bills promptly, as every payment contributes directly towards better service delivery in our communities,” said Mr Chabuda.
He said the city’s migration to the BIQ Enterprise Resource Planning system, together with Sage financial management platforms, was aimed at improving billing accuracy, strengthening financial accountability and enhancing customer service.
Residents welcomed the engagement, describing the feedback meeting as an important platform for direct interaction with council officials while expressing optimism that ongoing partnerships and infrastructure investments would continue improving service delivery in Ward 31 and across Harare.
