Speaking at a
stakeholder workshop on the Construction Contractors Bill 2025 in Harare
yesterday, Minister Garwe described the development as a crucial step towards
restoring order and efficiency in urban service delivery.
He said the
capital’s entire water value chain has now been privatised under a new
public-private partnership model inspired by the vision of President Mnangagwa.
“Through the
wise counsel from His Excellency, we have now engaged the private sector to
work with us in several areas. One key area where we are now working with the
private sector is the water value chain in Harare. It is now privatised and
represented. We now have the private sector dealing with that. Very soon, I
think next month, the President is going to commission or launch the
privatisation of Harare water,” said Minister Garwe.
The initiative
is expected to result in improved water provision as private entities take over
infrastructure, supply systems, billing and wastewater management — sectors
that have suffered under local authority mismanagement, particularly the City
of Harare.
Minister Garwe
also revealed that the Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
private players for collaboration in the waste management sector.
“The other area
that we are working on right now, and this morning we signed the Memorandum of
Understanding between us, the Local Government and the private sector players,
is the waste management value chain. Our local authorities, with the City of
Harare as the chief culprit, did not upgrade water supply, sewer articulation,
road networks and other key services,” he said.
Turning to the
Construction Contractors Bill 2025, Minister Garwe said the proposed law has
been under discussion since 1980 and is now ready for enactment.
“We have been
discussing this Bill for 45 years, but now, for the first time, we have a
version that is sober enough to become law,” he said.
He said the
Bill was shaped through broad consultations with stakeholders, including the
International Labour Organisation (ILO), local universities, and construction
sector players.
It is expected
to bring regulatory oversight, uphold professional standards and empower local
contractors.
“We must also
take cognisance of the fact that construction has moved on. We now have new
technologies that are being employed throughout the world and Zimbabwe would
not be an exception. In other jurisdictions, they have so moved on. They now
use steel. You see, they made the foundation in the morning, tomorrow afternoon
they are roofing. So, please consider the application of new technologies in
our building processes and that should be part of our agenda,” said Minister
Garwe.
He urged
stakeholders to be fully committed to ensuring the completion of the Bill.
“It is our
country. We do not need anyone to help or to work hard. We must push ourselves
to ensure that what we do, we do in the right way.
“What the
President is saying is, let us not fool ourselves that one day someone will
come and develop this country for us to be able to admire beautiful things. We
have to build ourselves,” he said.
Minister Garwe
said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was engaged as lead
consultant, with further contributions from higher education institutions and
other stakeholders.
The Bill seeks
to regulate contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and service providers in the
sector.
It will set
minimum standards, promote best practices and improve the quality of work. It
will also support training, capacity building, innovation, and monitor
employment conditions in line with labour laws and social security.
ILO director
for Zimbabwe and Namibia, Mrs Philile Masuku, represented by Mrs Maria
Mutandwa, said a strong legal framework was essential for the sector’s growth.
“The absence of
a comprehensive legal framework for the sector can thus create a landscape of
fragmented oversight and inconsistent standards. Such a scenario would not only
undermine the sector’s efficiency, but also pose significant risks to the
quality of infrastructure, fair competition and the well-being of the
workforce,” she said.
Mrs Masuku said
the Bill aligns with the ILO goals of promoting decent work and improved labour
conditions.
“We are also
particularly pleased that the proposed Bill will make provisions such as one
embedding standards for wages, social security, occupational safety and health,
which will help create a safer and more equitable work environment,” she said.
Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment