Govt takes over Harare ahead of Sadc summit

Harare City Council has temporarily ceded control of key services that include waste management, public transport management and road rehabilitation to the Government in preparation for the upcoming SADC summit in August.

The Sunday Mail has gathered that assessments concluded that the council, due to capacity constraints, would be unable to independently deliver the clean, safe and conducive environment necessary for the regional indaba.

This prompted the authorities to intervene.

As part of the programme, 120 new refuse trucks are being procured for use by Harare and other local authorities.

A section of Second Street Extension being rehabilitated. — Pictures: Memory Mangombe
Additionally, major roadworks have commenced in several suburbs to minimise traffic congestion during and after the event.

Property owners along Airport Road and roads leading to Mt Hampden — the main venue of the summit — have been given until July 31 to improve the outlook of their properties.

The Government is also working on a plan to on-board the private sector in solid waste management after the council indicated that it was incapacitated.

Overall, these improvements are intended to be part of a long-term programme of urban renewal in the capital city.

Chief director of spatial planning and development in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Mr Shingirayi Mushamba said the programme will continue even after the summit.

“The living conditions of people is what we are targeting as we improve service delivery,” he said.

“The SADC Summit will come and go, but what we really want to do is to use it as a launchpad. Whatever standard we achieve, we must maintain it going forward.

“In fact, we must improve further.”

While the Government has previously stepped in to support Harare, he said, it has now assumed a more prominent role in directly delivering services to residents.

This is expected to ensure a marked improvement in service delivery and the overall outlook of the city.

“What Government has successfully done thus far has been to work on the backend of the value chain, which is treatment of waste . . .

“We have been successful with the Pomona waste-to-energy plant.

“What we had not addressed was the waste generation and sorting.

“We are buying refuse compactors for local authorities. Right now, we have a huge consignment that the ministry is procuring, which will be deployed to local authorities.

“The target is about 120 compactors, which will be centrally managed and deployed to local authorities to ensure proper maintenance.

“When it comes to Harare, in particular, Government is now working on modalities and models for waste collection, crowding in private sector participation after the City of Harare indicated that it is incapacitated.

“Currently, we are undertaking Operation Chenesa Harare 2 and there are plans to launch Operation Chenesa Chitungwiza as well in the next few weeks.”

Mr Mushamba said the Government was also determined to modernise Harare’s public transport system.

The plan involves attracting private investment to rebuild the bus fleet currently servicing the capital.

The second phase of the programme will witness a gradual transition towards a modern electric bus system, with negotiations underway to bring zero-emission vehicles onto the city’s roads.

The final phase involves improving the infrastructure for these buses, including the ongoing road rehabilitation on major routes to reduce congestion and improve travel times, along with plans to upgrade bus termini across the city.

“When it comes to public transport, there are about three elements that the Government is working on,” he said.

“The first is to crowd in private sector participation . . . Government is working behind the scenes with financial institutions and transport operators to try and rebuild the available fleet.

“We have also been looking at how we can modernise the rolling stock, moving away from diesel-powered engines to electric buses.

“Again, we are at the negotiation stage, and they will soon start plying our routes.”

He said there are also plans to modernise all roads.

“Priority by Government is to ensure that all roads, which are major bus routes, are in trafficable condition so that the turnaround time is shortened,” added Mr Mushamba.

“If the road is smooth and traffic lights are working, there will be less congestion.

“This is what you are seeing happening.

“Yes, it looks like preparation for the SADC summit, but it is not just about that.

“The idea is to make sure the infrastructure for bus routes is well-maintained.

“The next phase that we will be working on are termini.

“Government will pay particular attention to bus termini across the major cities.”

Zimbabwe will host the SADC summit from August 8 to 18.