Online Reporter
By Sikhumbuzo Moyo
BULAWAYO is sitting on a ticking time bomb — literally!
The City’s Fire and Ambulance Services has raised a blazing red flag over the mushrooming menace of illegal backyard gas vendors, warning that lives are being put at deadly risk.
Two major explosions have rocked the city this year, all linked to shady, unlicensed gas operations.
In February, a house in Pelandaba West was blown open when illegally stored gas exploded, leaving one woman seriously burnt. This week, shoppers at Manyenziwa Shopping Centre in Nkulumane 12 were left in shock when a Honda Fit went up in flames. It had been turned into a mobile gas shop!
Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano said: “We are extremely concerned about these illegal gas selling points. They are not even observing the minimum safety standards. Lives are in serious risk,” he warned.
Despite raids by fire services and city council rangers, the fight is proving frustrating, all thanks to toothless penalties.
“Our fines are US$75 but the gas scales they use cost just US$35. Most offenders would rather buy another scale than pay the fine,” said Moyo.
Hotspots for these gas grenades in waiting include Lobengula, Cowdray Park and Pelandaba, where vendors casually hawk gas from homes, street corners and even cars.
Moyo said the city is now forced to confiscate gas cylinders, a move they previously avoided due to storage and safety concerns.
“We are doing this to protect innocent lives out there,” he declared.
With rogue gas dealers turning neighborhoods into potential danger zones, the city is saying; burn the trade before it burns the city!
