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Gibson Mhaka
LITTERBUGS in Bulawayo may soon go viral worldwide as the Bulawayo City Council may soon publish their names on social media.
To combat rampant littering and illegal dumping, in the Central Business District (CBD), the local authority is considering “naming and shaming” individuals who violate littering and dumping regulations on social media.
In the latest council minutes, the city fathers expressed concern over the ongoing littering problem, emphasising the need for immediate attention.
Ward 10 Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu suggested several strategies to address illegal dumping and littering within the city.
“These were as follows: (1) Naming and shaming of all culprits in all wards. This could be done through social media. (2) Once cleaning and clearing were done, there was a need to plant something on that land. (3) Leasing out of such land. (4) Provision of skip-bins in high refuse generation areas,” the minutes read in part.
She also suggested reviewing fines and enforcing related by-laws more effectively. Additionally, she mentioned that a clean-up campaign had been conducted in her ward.
“A resident also approached her with a front-end loader. The machine required fuel if the Council was to utilise it. She called on Council by-law enforcing officials to be visible in communities,” the minutes read.
Ward 2 Clr Adrian Moyo supported the naming and shaming of all culprits doing illegal dumping and littering.
“More educational campaigns should be done to stop illegal dumping. By-law enforcement and heavy fines should be charged. ‘No dumping’ signs had been placed in various illegal dumpsites before.
“In some cases, illegal refuse dumpers had avoided those areas and created new areas in the vicinity. With the aid of social media, naming and shaming was the next possible route which could be used to stop illegal dumping, “further read the minutes.
Clr Moyo additionally urged the local authority to develop a long-term solution for addressing the ongoing fire and smoke issues at the landfill site.
He said the smoke was contributing negatively to climate change and the health of the residents.
Chairperson of health, housing and education, Ward 23 Clr Ntombizodwa Khumalo, encouraged other councillors to develop strategies within their wards for addressing refuse and illegal dumping.
She emphasised the importance of setting specific timeframes for implementation.
Director of Health Services department, Dr Edwin Sibanda explained that the local authority was undertaking an operation to crack down on all illegal activities within the city.
“Some of these illegal activities contributed to littering and illegal dumping. 5th Avenue was being decongested. After cleaning 5th Avenue order would be created and vending bays allocated to registered informal traders. The council and the Central Government needed to collect revenue accordingly.
“Environmental Health Staff in their wards to identify and clear all illegal refuse dumps. The donation of a front-end loader would be looked into and the donor advised accordingly. The council welcomed all donations from various stakeholders.
“Placing of the ‘No Dumping’ signs would be considered. On the issue of fines, the fines structure was determined by levels. Council was in level 3. Parks Rangers had the highest fine in Council.
“The more deterrent fines were issued by EMA (Environmental Management Agency). Proper equipment was needed also at the landfill site to stop the fires.
“A cell was constructed first. As soon as dumping started, compaction was done then followed by covering,” explained Dr Sibanda.
Online Reporter