adminnot suckled the urine enough.
Although most people seem not to care, preoccupied with getting to their workplaces on time, a young lady walking alone is visibly disgusted, frowns and mumbles some angry words, incomprehensible from where Iam standing.
I am sure she is cursing street children for relieving themselves on the tarmac. I can imagine what she is saying.
A few metres on her way she encounters the worst of her worries, human waste barely covered by a torn-up page from a local daily. Fetid! She spits in the direction of the uninvited sight and immediately changes direction. Fetid, fetid, fetid!
She wonders what has gone wrong with the people of Zimbabwe who no longer value sanitation to a point of relieving themselves on the tarmac.
“Manhuwirwaka,” one man pokes fun at her.
She looks at him with an accusing eye and lets out a diatribe against the street children.
“These idiots should be rounded up and taken out of the city. Why do we give them food if they are to relieve themselves everywhere?” she shoots back.
The problem of people relieving themselves everywhere in Harare is surely getting out of hand and requires an urgent solution.
The public is now agreed that Harare now smells on every corner.
Despite the fact that some people are relieving themselves just outside Town House has not jolted the city authorities into action.
While most ratepayers may be pointing fingers at the street children and drunks for relieving themselves everywhere, the lack of free toilets is largely to blame for the putrid smell pervading the city.
Mr Kainos Chingwaru appealed to the City of Harare to reconsider its move and ensure that in every section of the town there were free toilets open 24 hours for use by the public.
He said charging for use of public toilets and locking them at night made the situation tricky for people who end up looking for secluded street corners.
The toilets used to be free.
“The city must open public toilets during the night because everyone is just relieving themselves outside those toilets. This has turned the city into some smelling and filthy city.
“We thought the authorities would reconsider their decision to close the toilets after seeing the mess that it has caused in the city but alas they are immune to reason,” he said.
Another resident, Maria Matende, said as a mother she was so concerned that the need for money was pushing the city to disregard sanitation.
“In a bid to raise a few dollars from the public, the city authorities have disregarded the need to provide free toilets for its poor residents. What kind of council is it that ignores the mounting poverty in the city that it charges for everything,” she said.
It now costs R5 to use the underground public toilets on Jason Moyo Avenue, Africa Unity Square, Kwame Nkrumah Avenue Parkade and Julius Nyerere Way
Parkade. The toilets used to be free serve for those on corner Jason Moyo and First Street. One would access the urinary section for free but council began charging a few cents for their use.
Since the introduction the toilets have been pegged a R5 an amount that the public says is unreasonable.
Although there are free toilets at some of the main commuter ranks the council have neglected them and they are so filthy to the point that they are repulsive. In most cases they have streams water and urine flowing into the streets leaving the whole area with pungent smell.
The bulk of the public toilets at bus termini, particularly the ones at the Speke Avenue bus terminals (commonly known as Copacabana) and Charge office have no toilet seats or running water, a sure recipe for disaster.
The situation is replicated even in the high- density suburbs where the council is failing to renovate or clean the facilities.
Cleaners only work once every morning but due to failing systems, the toilets are usually a mess by midday and hence unuseable.
According the recent media reports, Harare City Council has admitted failing to maintain its 125 public toilets around the capital with only two in proper working condition in the central business district.
Some toilets in the suburbs have virtually been closed down due to lack of maintenance. In the event that the toilets are open they have no lights and thus people cannot risk entering them at night and end up relieving themselves outside.
The council has, however, promised to look into the matter before the end of the year but with the year fast coming to an end one wonders when that will commence.
Council Director for Amenities Dombo Chibanda said all 115 toilets should be repaired by end of year.
Mrs Spiwe Kufa said it was unfortunate the council was taking this long to renovate and open the toilets. Surely, money should be set aside to improve service provision especially cleanliness.
“A toilet is a public need and should be readily available when in need. That is not the case with Harare where it has either been placed out of reach of the ordinary Zimbabwean or so dirty that it dissuades one form using it.
“Surely, the R5 being charged is too expense. Why not cost it at 1 rand or less to ensure it is ore accessible. As a working woman I can afford that much what off my old granny coming from Rusape. If she cannot afford a loaf of bread how can she pay the same for a toilet?
“We know the five rand was introduced when change was still a problem but I feel now people can get small amounts R1 or less. The council toilet charges are being driven by greed and not the need to provide a service and that is bad, “she said.
Unlike in other cities like Johannesburg, Pretoria, Maputo and Windhoek using public toilets cost little.
Residents said with the country still emerging from the 2008-9 cholera outbreak that claimed more than 4 000 people, it is important that the city authorities move with haste to bring sanity in the city.
Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said: “The majority of these outbreaks of communicable diseases are largely preventable; but
have been propagated by the prevailing poor reading and compliance to the provisions of the Health Act,” he said.
Harare Residents Trust concurred with the Dr Mombeshora says local authorities are to blame for the rot that is Harare as they have failed to put their priorities right.
“We raised the concern with City of Harare’s Health Department to respond to the cries of citizens on closed public toilets in the central business district, at the Market Square, Rezende Terminus, Charge Office but nothing has been done,” said HRT chairperson Precious Shumba.
“The absence of a coherent policy on public health in Harare poses serious challenge for citizens and policymakers,” said Shumba.
He urged the city to charge reasonable amounts for the pay toilets that promote the public to use toilets thus preserving the beauty of the city.
Online Reporter