Uncover key lessons from Harare's growth and the role of ordinary people in driving urban change.

My guest today is Davison Muchadenyika, Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank Group and author of The Making of an African City.

He's worked with many governments across Africa to build sustainable, inclusive cities.

Welcome to the Local Government Innovation Series on Future Cities Africa, presented by Business Engineering.

Mayor Ralph Nyasha Maoneyi of Kariba Municipality, Zimbabwe, introduces Kariba as a tourism-driven town with a rich history linked to the Kariba Dam.

He discusses key service delivery initiatives, including the Polyclinic and school expansions, challenged by only 12% devolution fund disbursements, leading to local resource reliance.

The economic downturn and tourism decline are tackled with a revival strategy focusing on airport upgrades, road rehabilitation, and private-sector-led accommodation and adventure zones.

Digitally, Kariba innovates with a chatbot for complaints or requests, a GIS system for mapping, and a housing module for profiling, boosting transparency and planning.

Looking ahead, Maoneyi sees opportunities in water, energy partnerships, investment, and city-to-city diplomacy for smart, sustainable growth.

Presented by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership

Episode Guests
Rirhandzu Marivate, Programs Manager at the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust
Jacqui Samson, professional planner and owner of J Samson Consultancy.

Episode Summary

The episode highlights Bellville as Cape Town’s second-largest CBD and a major transport interchange, attracting over 90,000 daily commuters. This bustling hub fosters a vibrant informal food trading system that provides accessible, culturally diverse food options, enhancing food security for residents and commuters.

The market’s informal traders form a symbiotic relationship with the formal retail sector, creating a dynamic supply-and-demand network that supports local businesses and commuters alike. Key challenges for traders include inadequate infrastructure (e.g., lack of storage, electricity, and sanitation), safety concerns, and cumbersome permitting processes.

The AfriFoodLinks project, in collaboration with the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, is addressing these through innovative solutions like prototyping food vending structures, improving waste management with black soldier fly facilities, and introducing capacity-building programs for food safety compliance. These initiatives aim to create dignified, hygienic, and sustainable trading environments.

The discussion also covers urban planning’s role in integrating innovations like cashless systems, mobile trading structures, and enhanced waste management to support traders. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership’s market management model and sustainability efforts, such as organic waste processing for composting, aim to empower traders to adopt greener practices. Co-design with vendors ensures these solutions are contextually appropriate, fostering trust and community ownership.

The episode concludes with reflections on the informal economy’s social ecosystem, where traders operate with a “social license” despite regulatory challenges. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership’s goal to become a knowledge hub offers a scalable model for supporting informal traders across South African cities, emphasising technology (e.g., e-services, AI, and Wi-Fi access) and stakeholder collaboration to enhance business operations and urban resilience.