Harare to manufacture 300,000 smart water meters

The City of Harare has announced plans to manufacture more than 300 000 smart water meters as part of efforts to modernise water distribution, improve billing efficiency and align with Zimbabwe's Vision 2030.

For years, the capital city has struggled to provide adequate clean water to its growing population. However, a public-private partnership between government, Harare City Council, Laison Technology and Helcraw Electrical is expected to improve service delivery.

So far, 20 000 households have benefited from a pilot prepaid water metering project, which will now be expanded citywide.

Speaking during the City of Harare's 2026–2030 strategic planning stakeholder consultation meeting on Monday, mayor Jacob Mafume said the initiative was a step towards transparency and accountability in the water sector.

"We have completed a project for prepaid water meters. Twenty thousand are already in place. Going forward, we will manufacture over 300 000 prepaid smart meters to improve water distribution and billing," he said.

Mafume added that the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems would help eliminate challenges with the current billing system.

"Our billing is difficult to understand, and we hope to come up with a coherent system that improves collections and service delivery," he said.

Acting town clerk Phakamile Mabhena stressed the importance of evaluating past performance to guide the new strategic plan.

"For us to formulate a new plan, it is imperative to interrogate how the previous one performed-where we succeeded, where we failed, and how we move forward," he said.

Mabhena outlined the city's long-term vision, which includes achieving a well-planned, resilient and green city by 2038, with reliable access to water, sustainable housing, modern infrastructure and enhanced public safety.

"Our roadmap must have clear checkpoints to achieve these goals, ensuring innovation, resilience, environmental sustainability and decent housing for residents," he added.

The initiative marks one of the city's most ambitious attempts to address its chronic water challenges while laying the groundwork for a more sustainable urban future.