Bongani Ndlovu
Mkhululi Ncube, [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has directed that the Ngozi Mine pollution crisis in Bulawayo be immediately addressed in response to growing public outcry over adverse health implications.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Dr Daniel Garwe, who is in the city today, has since given the Bulawayo City Council and Geo Pomona team one week to enter into an agreement to replicate the Geo Pomona waste management model at Richmond Landfill, commonly known as Ngozi Mine.
As Government moves to urgently address the fumes choking residents in surrounding suburbs, Minister Garwe said the Ngozi Mine issue has reached the Presidency.
“We came here with clear instructions from my principal that the Ngozi Mine situation is now of great concern to the President and solutions must be provided now,” he told city council senior management and staff during a brief meeting Thursday morning.
“Solutions will not come from ZIDA, but us and ZIDA will provide advice to what we want to achieve,” said Minister Garwe.
“We will not be bogged down by ZIDA, we have demanded that the feasibility study be carried out for us to be able to go ahead and engage either Geo Pomona or whoever, in this case its Geo Pomona.”
The directive comes amid mounting health complaints from residents, particularly in Cowdray Park, Emakhandeni and Luveve who have for years endured smoke and foul-smelling fumes from fires at the waste landfill.
Residents have complained of struggling to breathe when smoke settles over the suburb, with some saying the fumes have affected children and elderly people.
In some cases, families have had to temporarily move relatives suffering from respiratory problems to other suburbs when the smoke becomes severe.
The situation was described as a matter of life and death by Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart last year, with residents continuing to call for urgent intervention.
The landfill has experienced recurring fires, with residents saying the smoke can linger over communities for days. Complaints about the fumes date back several years, with residents accusing authorities of failing to find a lasting solution.
Online Reporter