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Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter
All urban councils should prioritise waste management in their budgets and scale up efforts to keep towns and cities clean in line with the law, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pomona Waste to Energy flagship project for Harare and the surrounding areas, where President Mnangagwa was the guest of honour.
VP Chiwenga’s call comes against the background of health concerns and scares as a result of poor hygiene leading to outbreaks of diseases like cholera.
Local urban authorities in particular have of late come under spotlight owing to their failure to deliver on their service delivery mandate, particularly waste management, with such failure inviting a continuous threat of disease outbreaks.
“It is pleasing to note that all the litter and solid waste from the City of Harare shall be put to good use,” said VP Chiwenga.
“Government urges all our urban councils who are neglecting their statutory role of waste collection to scale up efforts and keep our cities clean as espoused by the President.
“In that regard, he has challenged local authorities to prioritise waste management in their budgets to enhance service delivery.
“The Second Republic under the visionary leadership of the President declared zero tolerance to litter in an endeavour to keep our cities and environment clean.”
VP Chiwenga said in pursuit of this overarching goal for keeping communities clean, President Mnangagwa introduced the national clean-up campaign which is observed every first Friday of each month.
The innovation at Pomona will convert the old dumpsite into a modern garbage plant that will supply power generated from waste.
“This is a milestone occasion as it dovetails with our President’s thrust for transformation and modernisation of our towns and cities into world class standards.
“I have no doubt that such mega projects will give us the impetus to accelerate towards Vision 2030 in support of the President’s quest of an empowered upper middle income society.
“This project is evident of the success story of public private partnerships in which Government provides an enabling business operating environment for a private sector led economic growth.
“I am reliably informed Geo-Pomona Waste Private Limited has employed nearly 200 locals. As Government we are glad that the waste rehabilitation programme will not only make the city of Harare clean but also generate power and create employment,” said VP Chiwenga.
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