The City of Harare yesterday hosted a delegation from the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) on a tour of Morton Jaffray Water Works plant to appreciate the City's Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Helcraw Water (Pvt) Limited. Speaking during the tour, Harare Water Acting Director, Eng. Tapiwa Richard Kunyadini, hailed the City's partnership with Helcraw Water citing the great wins recorded and ambitious targets nearly reached, even before the year is out. "We are delighted with the progress we have made, far beyond our expectations. "As we speak our target of 100,000 prepaid smart water meters is as good as done with nearly 83,000 units installed and operating smoothly. "Our targets for pipe replacement and doubling our current treated water output at this facility are also attainable within the timeframes we set with our partner Helcraw Water," Eng. Kunyadini said. He reaffirmed the City's commitment to maintain accountability to residents and stakeholders, by upholding an open door policy for regulatory authorities such as ZIDA to assess the City's management of public resources at any given time. Morton Jaffray Senior Superintendent, Mr Paul Chabata led the visiting ZIDA delegation around the massive water treatment facility explaining the intricate process of water purification and delivery of the precious commodity. In his vote of thanks at the end of the tour, ZIDA Head PPPs and Project Development, Mr Taurai Duku, underscored the importance of regulatory scrutiny and oversight for all major projects involving publicly-funded contracting authorities such as the City of Harare. "While consideration for the technical and commercial viability of any PPP remains indispensable, the biggest benefit must accrue to the public," Mr Duku said. He hailed the Harare-Helcraw PPP for being transparent and instructive to ZIDA's appreciation of public water projects. Apart from supplying treated portable water to residents and institutions, Harare's municipal water is a critical input for large scale beverage manufacturers producing popular brands and employing thousands. The City of Harare through its partnership with Helcraw Water is consolidating the rollout of prepaid smart water meters as the hallmark of a smart city of choice.
