The policy environment of urban sanitation in Zimbabwe, 2000-2018: a case study of public ablution facilities in Harare created by Conillious Gwatirisa, Innocent

This article analyses the impact of the policy environment on policy implementation in Zimbabwe's capital city, Harare. The study used the exogenous theoretical framework and the mixed research approach. The mixed research approach was used for the purpose of integrating qualitative and quantitative techniques. Stratified random sampling and cluster sampling were used to select the twenty public toilets. Data were collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and participant observations of the policy implementation process. A total of 395 questionnaires were self-administered to public toilet users (informal group members) soliciting for information on the policy environment. The study found out that the policy environment was highly polarised with politics seriously jeopardising service delivery. The research found out that the policy barriers included; policy contradictions, policy imperfections and disharmony among actors. This article also established that the major economic challenges ranged from, non-payment of rates, the decline in council revenue, a huge wage bill, cancellation of rates and huge debts owed to City of Harare (CoH). The study recommends that there be increased harmony, collaboration and coordination among actors. The government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) should decentralise public sanitation service delivery and depoliticise public sanitation governance.