Electricity now accounts for 56% of Harare Water’s production cost, pushing the city’s water system to financial unsustainability. The figure was revealed in a strategic report by consultant Engineer Kumbirai Kashangura. Addressing management during deliberations on the Harare Water Strategic Plan, Mayor Cllr Jacob Mafume said the findings are a wake-up call the city can no longer ignore. "Eng. Kashangura has shown us that the cost of power alone is 56% of what it costs us to produce water. That is unsustainable," said Cllr Mafume. The Mayor challenged management to produce a bankable, implementable plan they own in success and failure, and not a glossy document for council. Cllr Mafume said the plan must now translate diagnosis into solutions. He proposed the urgent resuscitation of the redundant Harare Power Station to provide dedicated, cheaper power for water operations, and the establishment of a dedicated solar plant earmarked specifically for Harare Water to insulate critical infrastructure from ZESA tariff shocks and load-shedding. He said these, combined with dedicated power lines and a special tariff negotiation for water as a social service, would address the root cause of the crisis. Mayor Mafume warned that without decisively dealing with power costs, interventions on chemicals, non-revenue water and sewer will remain undermined.
