The City of Harare (CoH) has entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Helcraw Private Limited (plus Chinese partner, Hangzhou Laison Technology) and the Government of Zimbabwe to address ongoing water supply and infrastructure challenges.

The arrangement includes vehicle support, pipe replacement, metering upgrades, and rehabilitation of key water facilities.

1. Infrastructure Upgrades and Pipe Replacements: Helcraw is supplying and installing new water pipes across Harare to replace old and burst lines.

This work aims to reduce water losses and contamination that occur within the city’s aging distribution network.

2. Introduction of Prepaid Water Meters: The agreement includes replacing postpaid meters with prepaid meters in areas receiving water.

This shift is intended to improve billing efficiency, revenue collection, and consumer accountability for water usage.

3. Rehabilitation of Morton Jaffray Waterworks: The PPP will cover the rehabilitation of the Morton Jaffray Waterworks, the main treatment plant for Harare.

The objective is to increase output and ensure a more reliable water supply to households and businesses. 4. Vehicle Support for Maintenance Teams: Helcraw has donated six double-cab and ten single-cab vehicles to the City of Harare.

These vehicles will be used by maintenance teams to respond to water and sewer pipe repairs, improving operational response capacity.

5. Broader PPP Framework: Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume noted that this project is part of the city’s broader PPP approach to service delivery, which includes other collaborations such as Geo Pomona Waste Management, Mbare Market redevelopment, and ongoing road rehabilitation works.

Zim Economic Review