In 2012, Harare City Council launched an ambitious plan of turning the capital into a world-class city by 2025 amid pomp and fanfare.
The ambitious project included an improved waste management system, consistent potable water supply, upgraded road infrastructure and a smart urban transport system.
At every opportune time for the past 12 years, the city fathers would harp on how they were going to transform Zimbabwe’s capital city to a world-class city with all the modern amenities and eco-friendly structures.
Council cars were emblazoned with the words “Harare — world-class city by 2025”.
However, as the clock ticked into the new year on January 1 2025, reality struck that the city fathers have not only failed to transform Zimbabwe’s biggest city to a world-class city, but have also turned it into a medieval city where residents count themselves lucky not to contract ancient diseases.
The decline is a stark reality for its residents, who face a daily struggle against a backdrop of economic hardship and crumbling infrastructure.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index has consistently ranked Harare at the bottom, reflecting the city's deteriorating quality of life.
In its 2023 report, Harare scored a dismal 44.0 out of 100, highlighting significant shortcomings across key areas such as stability, healthcare and infrastructure.
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"The city's decline is a tragedy," Reuben Akili, programme manager of Combined Harare Residents Association, a local advocacy group, said.
“Basic services like water and electricity are unreliable and the roads are a disgrace. This impacts every aspect of our lives, from our businesses to our health.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also raised concern about the deteriorating state of Harare's healthcare system.
"Severe underfunding and a shortage of essential medicines have crippled public hospitals," stated a WHO report. "This leaves vulnerable populations with limited access to quality healthcare."
The most immediate threat to Harare's survival is the looming water crisis.
The city's main water source, Lake Chivero, is increasingly being contaminated.
Raw sewage flows directly into the lake, a consequence of decades of infrastructural neglect and a lack of proper waste management.
“It’s a public health disaster waiting to happen,” warned Mlungisi Ndebele, a medical practitioner.
“The water is unfit for human consumption. We're already seeing a surge in waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera.”
Outbreaks of such medieval diseases have become increasingly frequent, overwhelming the already overburdened public health system.
Compounding the water crisis are chronic power shortages.
State-owned power utility Zesa struggles to meet demand, leaving residents and businesses grappling with frequent and unpredictable blackouts.
These disruptions cripple businesses, hinder economic activity and exacerbate the city's already dire social and economic conditions.
Most roads are pothole riddled, making driving a hazardous exercise.
Traffic congestion is a daily nightmare, exacerbated by the proliferation of informal vendors who clog sidewalks and intersections.
“It’s impossible to get around," said Tapiwa, a commuter.
“The traffic is horrendous and the roads are a disgrace. It takes me hours to get to work.”
The presence of municipal police offers little comfort.
Instead of enforcing laws and maintaining order, they are often perceived as a source of harassment and extortion.
Petty bribery is rampant, further eroding trust in public institutions.
Corruption, endemic at all levels of government, is a major obstacle to any meaningful progress.
The ongoing commission of inquiry into the affairs of Harare City Council has revealed shocking levels of corruption, with councillors and top officials allegedly transforming the city to a "crime scene."
President Emmerson Mnangagwa last year appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the operations of the local authority and its business units, covering the period from 2017 to date.
The commission is led by retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda and its tenure was extended by three months to the end of February.
The commission has exposed a web of malfeasance, including stripping of city assets, entering into dubious partnerships and looting of public funds.
For years, senior officials at Town House — the seat of Harare City Council — appear to have turned the city into their personal fiefdom, prioritising their own enrichment at the expense of the residents and ratepayers who rely on the council for essential services.
To cover their tracks, council officials have for years not provided the enterprise resource planning system to the local government ministry.
After touring Harare City Council’s arms of business and hearing officials revealing how they are failing to run the city, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts chairperson Charlton Hwende said the commission was likely to take over the affairs of the local authority.
“It’s obvious that you (council officials) are failing to run the council properly, you are likely to lose jobs to the commission of inquiry,” he said.
