Harare, govt sued over prepaid water meter rollout

A Harare woman has approached the courts seeking to halt the rollout of prepaid water meters in the capital, arguing that the programme is unlawful and violates existing municipal laws governing water supply and billing.

Bernatte Makaya has filed an application against the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, the City of Harare and [Helcraw Water](https://www.helcraw.co.zw?utm_source=chatgpt.com), challenging the legality of the prepaid water metering project currently being implemented in parts of the city.

Makaya is represented by lawyer Tinashe Chinopfukurwa of the [Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights](https://www.zlhr.org.zw?utm_source=chatgpt.com).

The application, filed in terms of Section 4 of the Administrative Justice Act, seeks an order setting aside the prepaid water meter installation programme and suspending its implementation until the necessary legal framework is put in place.

According to court papers, the City of Harare, working in partnership with Helcraw Water, began implementing the prepaid water metering project in 2025. The programme was later introduced in Sunridge, Mabelreign, where Makaya resides and where a prepaid water meter was installed at her property earlier this year.

Makaya told the court that the prepaid system automatically disconnects her water supply whenever she runs out of credit.

She said the meter is installed inside a locked box outside her home and operates differently from the conventional post-paid billing system that residents have traditionally used.

"This new system requires residents to pay for the water first before receiving any drop of water from the City of Harare," Makaya submitted in her court papers.

She further argued that the system effectively cuts off water supplies without providing residents with written notice, which she says is required under existing legislation and municipal by-laws.

According to Makaya, the prepaid meter only provides users with a small monitor inside the house that displays the remaining water balance, but does not issue formal notices warning of impending disconnection.

"The prepaid water metering system introduced by the respondents merely has a little monitor which is inside the house used to check the water balance if you press number 12," she argued.

Makaya contends that the prepaid metering system is inconsistent with the Harare Water By-Laws because those regulations provide for a post-paid billing arrangement rather than a prepaid system.

She also argues that the programme is ultra vires the Urban Councils Act because residents are not given the mandatory 24-hour notice before water supplies are disconnected.

In addition, she submitted that prepaid meters do not provide consumers with statements of account detailing water consumption and charges, which she says are required under existing legal provisions.

According to the application, the introduction of prepaid water meters is not supported by any enabling legislation and is inconsistent with both the Urban Councils Act and the Harare Water By-Laws.

Makaya further relies on Section 61 of the Harare Water By-Laws, which requires notices to be issued in writing and either delivered to the consumer's address or sent by registered post.

She is seeking a court order suspending the implementation and rollout of prepaid water meters across Harare and compelling the authorities to first develop and enact appropriate by-laws governing such a system before proceeding with its implementation.

The matter is currently pending before the courts and is expected to test the legality of prepaid water metering in Zimbabwe's capital, with potentially significant implications for future municipal service delivery reforms.