An analysis of the potential use of public-private partnerships in water infrastructural development in Zimbabwe: The case of Harare City Council

Abstract

The study was carried out to analyse the potential use of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in water infrastructural development in Zimbabwe using Harare City Council as a case study. PPPs play a pivotal role in water infrastructural development if fully implemented. Zimbabwe’s rate of uptake is low. There are preconditions that are necessary for successful implementation of PPPs. These preconditions are legal and institutional frameworks and political will among others. The study used the case of the Harare City Council to interrogate if the necessary preconditions exist for the full implementation of water PPPs in the Zimbabwean context. Key informant interviews and documentary research were adopted. The study established that Zimbabwe does not have the preconditions necessary for successful implementation of PPPs and this confirms the thesis. The main challenges include lack of legal and institutional framework, lack of political will, unconducive socio-economic environment among others. Zimbabwe’s water infrastructure is dilapidated. This is compounded by lack of fiscal space on the part of government to rehabilitate the infrastructure. PPPs could be a viable alternative to infrastructural development with the right environmental conditions. The study recommends that the government should quickly enact a PPP legal framework that enables the establishment of a PPP unit within the Ministry of Finance and this should be followed by an Act of Parliament which should institutionalize PPPs. The Government should address its debt and promote a conducive investment climate and should develop a political will as well as working for the removal of economic sanctions.