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Paper short abstract:

This study seeks to explore the evolution of urban water crises in colonial Zimbabwe (then called Southern Rhodesia).

Paper long abstract:

This study seeks to explore the evolution of urban water crises in colonial Zimbabwe (then called Southern

Rhodesia). In Southern Rhodesia, water crises manifested in water rationing, water budgeting and water

disputes in different towns, with various pieces of legislation such as the Towns Management Ordinance of

1894, the Order in Council of 1898, Water Ordinance of 1914, Water Act of 1927 governing its access and

utilisation by different sectors like agriculture, mining, industry and household. Within this framework, this

research seeks to examine the origins, evolution and impact of urban water scarcity in Southern Rhodesia

between 1890 and 1945. Current scholarship on urban water crises focuses on the city of Bulawayo alone

because of its location in a drought-prone region and its marginalisation by the post-independence

government. This study presents a national case of the subject, making it a unique contribution to the history

of water governance in Zimbabwe.