Abstract
This article compares private-led development with public-led development within the private-public partnership approach framework in the growth process of Ruwa Town in Zimbabwe. The comparison gives insights into the best alternatives to post-colonial urban development in Zimbabwe in general and Ruwa Town in particular at a time when the government of Zimbabwe is contemplating adopting the private-public partnership approach to urban development. Ruwa has been involved in a transition in urban development approach, from public-led development to private-led development. The town is outstanding for involving private land developer companies (PLDCs) in develo** its urban infrastructure. The companies were invited by the public sector to create a partnership in service provision and infrastructure development. Upon entering the land market in Ruwa, from 1987, the companies bought land from commercial farmers around the town which they developed into residential, commercial and industrial areas before selling it to individuals and other entrepreneurs. Public-led development in Ruwa was driven by the Government and the Ruwa Town local authorities, and these public entities developed their own industrial areas and residential parks. In comparing private- and public-led developments, the article uses qualitative research methods to derive research data. The comparison proves that the companies were more effective in providing quality infrastructure. Although the companies had some shortcomings which retarded growth in the area, the article argues that they were the most appropriate vehicles of transformation in Zimbabwe’s urban development process from a public-led approach to a neo-liberal approach.
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Notes
Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle are vernacular words which means good living.
Kuma USAID means areas developed by USAID.
Murambatsvina is a Shona word which means to remove filth.
SEDCO is an organ under the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development. It should be noted that this organ had nothing whatever to do with the Operation Garikai/Hlalani Khuhle programme.
These statics and figures were collected during Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation period which normalised in 2009 after the adoption of a multi-currency system.
The Ruwa Housing Waiting List is a list of home seekers in Ruwa. People pay a small amount of money to buy an application form for their names to be listed on the list. One should be a Ruwa resident and should not own any house to be on the Housing List. Whenever there is a housing project for the low-income earners, the council considers the people on the Housing List first to be beneficiaries.
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Muzorewa, T.T. Public and Private-Led Urban Developments in Post-colonial Zimbabwe: a Comparative Study in Ruwa Town. Urban Forum 31, 197–213 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-020-09386-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-020-09386-5