2. Background and Context
2.1 Current State of Infrastructure in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s infrastructure deficits span multiple sectors, including water and sanitation, health, energy, transportation, and housing. Key challenges include:
- Water and Sanitation: According to UN-Water, billions globally lack access to safely managed water and sanitation, with Zimbabwe facing acute challenges, particularly in rural areas and urban informal settlements. Harare, for instance, has reported non-functional indoor flush toilets due to water shortages, forcing residents to rely on unsafe alternatives (Human Rights Watch, 2013). Rural areas suffer from inadequate water supply systems, with many communities relying on contaminated sources, contributing to waterborne diseases such as cholera.
- Health: The health sector is critically underfunded, with hospitals lacking basic equipment and medicines, a situation ZHRO attributes to corruption and mismanagement (ZHRO, 2024). This exacerbates maternal and infant mortality rates, with inadequate water and sanitation facilities in health centres contributing to preventable deaths.
- Energy and Transportation: Frequent power outages and poor road networks hinder economic activity and access to services, compounding the challenges of delivering water and sanitation infrastructure.
- Economic Context: Zimbabwe’s economic crisis, characterized by hyperinflation, currency instability, and high unemployment, limits government capacity to invest in infrastructure. Corruption further diverts resources, with ZHRO noting that proceeds from mineral resources are often siphoned off by elites, leaving ordinary citizens without basic services (ZHRO, 2024).
2.2 Human Rights Framework
Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is recognized as a human right under international law, derived from the right to an adequate standard of living (Article 11, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights). The UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/64/292 (2010) and subsequent resolutions affirm these rights, obliging states to ensure universal access without discrimination, prioritizing the most marginalized. The UK, as a signatory to these frameworks, has recognized sanitation as a human right and committed to supporting global efforts (GOV.UK, 2012). ZHRO’s advocacy, as highlighted on its website, underscores the need for Zimbabwe to meet these obligations, particularly in addressing maternal mortality linked to poor sanitation in health facilities (ZHRO, 2024).
2.3 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) targets universal access to water and sanitation by 2030, emphasizing the principle of “leaving no one behind.” Zimbabwe’s progress toward SDG 6 is lagging, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas, and between privileged elites and the majority poor. Addressing water and sanitation infrastructure is also critical to achieving other SDGs, including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), given the disproportionate impact of poor sanitation on women and girls.