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Talent Gore
PILES of uncollected garbage are a cause for concern in Harare City Centre as more vendors sell vegetables and shops operate without bins, despite this being a requirement for shop owners.
Residents are frustrated with the city council’s failure to deliver adequate services and angered that garbage is not being collected even during the cholera outbreak.
Council spokesperson, Stanley Gama, said that the issue is beyond their control as garbage is removed every day, but within hours it accumulates.
“Garbage is removed every day during evenings, but by 9am the following day, it will have accumulated. We call it night owl where we are pulling huge resources to clear Harare rubbish during the night,” said Gama.
He said council is imposing fines on shop owners and individuals who dump rubbish at skip points, and business premises that fail to comply with regulations on bin provision will be fined and risk closure.
“To make sure we stop this behaviour, you will notice that our municipal police have departments which have started enforcing the law that any shop owner or their employees found dumping rubbish at skip points will attract a fine of US$385 for the business and US$38 for individuals,” he said.
A resident, Patience Ngirazi, expressed concern over the council’s continued failure to deliver adequate services.
“I am frustrated by the trash accumulating in the streets. It is no longer the Sunshine City we used to know and yet we are paying rates,” she said.
Ngirazi said it was a pity that garbage was not collected even in the crisis of a cholera outbreak which has been claiming lives.
“Our council should be at least sensitive. We are battling a cholera crisis and they should have channelled more resources to refuse collection and sewer bursts, but as it stands, we are simply on our own.”
Online Reporter