City Of Harare Threatens ZESA With Prepaid Water Meters Over Electricity Dispute
The City of Harare has accused the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) of sabotage and threatened to retaliate by installing prepaid water meters at the power utility’s facilities after ZESA moved to force the capital city onto prepaid electricity.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said the council would not continue supplying water for free while being required to prepay for electricity used for street lights and other council services.
The latest standoff comes amid an escalating dispute between Harare City Council and ZESA over mounting utility debts and the installation of prepaid electricity meters for municipal infrastructure. The dispute follows reports that tower lights in Harare had already been switched off as the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) intensified debt recovery efforts.
Mafume Accuses ZESA Of Sabotage
Speaking in comments carried by ZiFM Stereo News on Monday, 11 May 2026, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume accused ZESA of deliberately frustrating council operations.
“They want us to buy electricity in advance, but they still expect to get water for free,” Mafume said.
“If they insist on prepaid electricity meters for council infrastructure, then we will also install prepaid water meters at ZESA facilities.”
Mafume said the council viewed ZESA’s actions as sabotage, especially after reports that the utility wanted city infrastructure such as street lights and traffic control systems to operate strictly on prepaid electricity.
According to ZiFM Stereo News, Mafume said the city could no longer sustain a system where it paid upfront for electricity while the power utility continued consuming water without settling its bills in the same manner.
The remarks come months after reports emerged in July 2025 that Harare’s tower lights had been switched off over unpaid electricity debts.
Harare’s Infrastructure Battles Continue
In July 2025, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that ZETDC had begun rolling out prepaid electricity meters for councils across Zimbabwe, including Harare and Chitungwiza.
At the time, ZETDC reportedly defended the move, arguing that prepaid systems would help local authorities manage electricity consumption more efficiently.
“Everything will now run under a prepaid metering system,” a ZESA source told the publication.
“No one has been switched off but electricity is now available at point of purchase as part of the revenue collection directive.”
The utility also reportedly argued that prepaid systems had become necessary because of electricity shortages affecting Zimbabwe and the wider region.
The Zimbabwe Independent further reported that councils had allegedly been given notice to clear outstanding debts before the rollout of prepaid systems.
Residents Caught In The Middle
The latest clash has raised concerns about the future of essential services in Harare, including street lighting and traffic management systems.
Reports in 2025 indicated that Harare’s traffic lights, commonly referred to locally as “robots”, could also be migrated to prepaid electricity systems.
Residents have already complained about dark streets, malfunctioning traffic lights and deteriorating infrastructure across the capital.
While ZESA insists prepaid systems are part of broader revenue collection reforms, council officials argue the measures could worsen service delivery challenges if disputes remain unresolved.
Neither ZESA nor ZETDC had publicly responded to Mafume’s latest threat to introduce prepaid water meters at their facilities at the time of publication.
Harare City Council and ZESA are locked in a fresh utility war after Mayor Jacob Mafume accused the power utility of sabotage and threatened to install prepaid water meters at ZESA facilities.
The clash comes after ZESA pushed councils onto prepaid electricity systems, with Harare arguing it cannot keep supplying water for free while paying upfront for power.
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