For over three decades, Hydro Utilities Consulting Engineers has been providing civil and structural engineering design and project management services to both the private and public sectors. The Harare-based firm has a wide array of clients in the infrastructure and project management sector and has been a trusted partner for many projects since its establishment in 1991.
The firm works with a range of public clients, including government entities, civic societies, and public parastatals and organizations, to provide civil and structural engineering design and project management services. Additionally, they have a number of private clients such as housing developers, mining houses, and several corporate entities.
Eng. Thami Mpala, the Immediate Past President of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers, is the Managing Director of the firm and an Executive Director. He holds an MBA from Steinbeis University in Germany, a Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
“Hydro Utilities has a portfolio of impressive engineering infrastructure projects in the country, including the Pungwe-Mutare Bulk Water Supply and Treatment Project, West End Harare Hospital, Harare Drive Missing Links Road Project, and the design and construction of various TM Supermarkets across the country. The Oxygen and Acetylene Gas Plant for Verify Engineering, which we have been involved in since 2006, is a great example of our success,” said Eng. Mpala.
Hydro Utilities and Verify Engineering have worked together in the construction of an oxygen and acetylene gas plant in Feruka, Zimbabwe from feasibility up to its commissioning. Hydro Utilities provided feasibility studies, topographical surveys, geotechnical investigations, and civil and structural engineering designs. The project is now in full operation and Hydro Utilities continues to provide operational and maintenance support on the plants as well as technical advice on other associated projects. “Hydro Utilities utilizes the latest engineering software and digital project team collaboration platforms to stay on the cutting edge of the engineering industry and to guarantee that designs are carried out according to modern quality engineering standards. We are officially recognized by the Zimbabwe Association of Consulting Engineers and the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe,” said the engineer.
The firm aims to be a leading player in the engineering infrastructure sector of southern Africa. Currently, it is concluding a sanitation management project in Botswana whilst at the same time designing a 5,000 cubic meter/day water treatment plant in Mozambique. Going forward, it intends to expand its engineering reach in Zimbabwe and the southern African region. In 2021, the firm was awarded the title of “Ethical Company of the Year in the Civil Engineering Category”, in recognition of its commitment to good corporate governance, ethical engineering standards, delivering excellence and quality, and placing great emphasis on teamwork.
So far, the company’s board and high-level executives have taken part in the Ethical Leadership Development Programme (ELDP) from the Business Ethic Centre. Employees have also attended a range
of ethics courses, covering work ethics and good governance, to give them the knowledge to address ethical dilemmas and make ethical choices in the workplace.
Hydro Utilities have the honour of partnering the Ethics Institute of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Business Ethics Centre on all issues to do with corporate governance and business ethics.
Through the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers and a variety of other engineering related committees, steering councils and working groups, the firm is able to take part in national affairs concerning infrastructure development within the built environment. Hydro Utilities also takes an active role in supporting the country’s universities and tertiary institutions by offering student engineer industrial placements on a yearly basis.
Text by Martin Chemhere