Harare world class city status dream vanishes

A decade ago, our publication ran a story titled "Vision 2025: Will Harare make it?"—a question that remains just as pertinent today with only a day left to achieve the ambitious goals set for the capital. As Harare approaches the deadline for its supposed transformation into a world-class city, the same issues continue to plague its residents: water shortages, sewer bursts, uncollected garbage, rampant corruption, a flawed billing system, questionable land deals, and potholed roads in southern suburbs.

The city's dream of becoming a world-class city by 2025, as outlined by Harare City Council in 2014, now seems more like an elusive fantasy. Over the past ten years, little progress has been made, with service delivery instead deteriorating across several critical areas.

Simon Bere, an expert in urban environmental planning and environmental engineering, spoke in 2014 about what Harare needed to do to achieve world-class status. His key areas of focus included effective water and transport provision, waste management, energy provision, and strong leadership and management. According to global standards for ranking cities—looking at factors such as infrastructure, healthcare, and service delivery—Harare has fallen far short of these benchmarks.

Precious Shumba, Director of the Harare Residents' Trust, described Harare's Vision 2025 as a mere mirage. "It cannot be achieved under the current structural and institutional setup in the City of Harare. There are just too many contradictions at the policy-making level to comprehensively address the city's shortcomings," he said. Shumba also pointed to the lack of qualified leaders in critical city departments and the absence of a functional enterprise resource plan, which has contributed to inefficiency and corruption.

The city's billing system has also faced serious setbacks. The BIQ system, which was abandoned in March 2019, has not been replaced, leaving Harare's ratepayers vulnerable to corruption in asset registration, financial accounting, procurement, and billing.

Reuben Akili, Director of the Combined Harare Residents Association, also criticized the vision, describing it as an overly ambitious boardroom decision made by a few individuals with little consultation. "We have regressed in terms of social service provision," he said, highlighting how, since the vision was launched, systems that were once functional—such as sewer treatment plants and reliable water supply—have become increasingly dysfunctional.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume admitted that the goal of becoming a world-class city by 2025 will not be met, acknowledging that the city is racing against time to address key gaps in leadership, such as filling positions for Chamber Secretary, Finance Director, and Human Capital Director. "This was one of the major challenges that affected the vision, and we are now looking to rectify it," he said.

In an effort to address the long-standing issues at Town House, a commission of inquiry has been established to investigate the challenges facing the local authority. Experts have argued that the city's administration has become a "citadel of lethargy," with the lack of leadership and progress carrying a significant cost for the residents of Harare.

As the clock ticks down on Vision 2025, it remains to be seen whether Harare can overcome its systemic challenges and achieve the standards set a decade ago, or whether the city will continue to struggle under the weight of its unmet aspirations.