Bulawayo City Council’s decision to engage Helcraw Water (Private) Limited over a proposed billion-dollar water infrastructure deal has sparked concerns among residents, who fear the move could signal a shift towards water privatisation without proper consultation.
Council recently resolved to authorise preliminary talks with Helcraw under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, which could see the company mobilise between US$500 million and US$1 billion to rehabilitate, modernise and operate the city’s water system before handing assets back to the municipality after 15 to 25 years.
The proposal covers smart metering, distribution network upgrades, treatment plant rehabilitation and bulk water conveyance improvements.
But residents say they are being kept in the dark.
Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairman, Winos Dube, said he was learning of the deal for the first time.
“I am hearing and learning this for the first time. We haven’t heard of anything of this magnitude that the council is considering or adopting,” Dube said.
“I don’t recall any consultations being done to that effect. We are unaware. We will only be aware when they decide to consult us and keep us informed.”
Dube said the lack of transparency mirrors past failures.
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“Our fear in these instances is that we will always reference the Egodini project, where the council sometimes accepts these proposals without analysing, studying, understanding the possibilities, or proving the contractors’ capacity to execute those projects.”
He also cited the Terracotta project, which remains incomplete despite promises of swift completion.
“The question we may only have as residents is, what does it mean to the ordinary ratepayer, because at the end of the day these projects may be introduced yet they become a burden to the ratepayers.”
He further questioned whether the Helcraw proposal was connected to the previously announced Bulawayo Water Utility, registered on June 5, saying residents had not been made aware of any links.
Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights director, Khumbulani Maphosa, warned that Helcraw is already implementing a water privatisation project in Harare, where residents have publicly complained of drastically higher water rates with little improvement in service delivery or quality.
“Before accepting the Helcraw proposal, BCC should first determine if it wants to now adopt a privatisation model or not, because Helcraw is publicly known for conducting water privatisation,” Maphosa said.
He urged council to observe Helcraw’s performance in Harare, consider the views of Harare councillors and residents, and consult its own stakeholders before proceeding.
A council report presented on June 22 stated that Helcraw submitted an expression of interest proposing a public-private Partnership to finance, upgrade and manage Bulawayo’s water system. The company said it would mobilise funding through equity, debt financing and development finance institutions.
During deliberations, councillor Khalazani Ndlovu said Helcraw had demonstrated capacity during a council visit to Karoi, where a similar project was progressing well.
Deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu noted that Karoi residents were satisfied.
However, the council resolved that preliminary engagements would remain non-binding and subject to statutory approvals under the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency Act and national PPP framework.
