Harare on Edge: Residents Rise Up as City Services Move to Private Hands

Harare residents protest the city’s move to privatise key municipal services, accusing authorities of corruption, poor transparency and sidelining public input (image source)

Harare residents have reacted angrily to a sweeping push to privatise key municipal services including water, waste management, parking and infrastructure amid claims the process favours politically connected contractors and sidesteps community input.

The national government and Harare City Council are advancing a public-private partnership model to transfer parts of the city’s service delivery to private operators, with officials framing the move as a solution to decades of under-investment and breakdowns in service provision. Local residents’ associations say the tendering and handover process lacks transparency and accountability, accusing central government ministries of interfering in council affairs and “handpicking” contractors without meaningful public consultation. Combined Harare Residents Association director Reuben Akili described the development as undermining local democracy and warned that efficiency gains will be hollow if lasting oversight is absent.

“We are already feeling the worry,” said a Harare suburb resident who attended a recent community meeting, describing a mood of mistrust and confusion as private operatives inspect neighbourhood infrastructure. Another market trader reported sudden changes to municipal waste pickups and a new private firm demanding upfront fees, heightening fears about affordability for low-income households. Government ministers and some council officials argue privatisation will inject capital, restore services and professionalise management of Harare’s water value chain and other failing utilities, presenting the model as necessary to stabilise supply and attract investment.

Urban governance analyst Dr. Tafadzwa Ncube warned that outsourcing municipal services can produce short-term gains but often transfers risks to citizens if safeguards are weak. “Privatisation without strict performance contracts, tariff protections and citizen oversight risks exclusion and higher costs for the poor,” Dr. Ncube said. He urged immediate publication of tender documents, value-for-money assessments and independent regulatory frameworks to protect vulnerable residents.

Critics fear the move could entrench patronage, weaken local accountability and raise user charges, hitting informal traders and low-income households hardest. Supporters counter that private partners must meet service level agreements and that improved performance will spur economic activity and investor confidence in the capital.

Campaigners are calling for urgent public hearings, judicial review of suspect tenders and stronger parliamentary oversight to ensure the rollout is transparent and socially protective. Council meetings and a planned stakeholders’ workshop are due in the coming weeks; activists say those forums will be a litmus test for whether residents’ voices shape the process or are sidelined entirely.