Chitungwiza council dumps skip bin on busy road 

Source: Chitungwiza council dumps skip bin on busy road | The Herald

Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter
Chitungwiza Municipality has dumped a skip bin with refuse in the middle of a busy road in St Mary’s suburb following the breakdown of a truck carrying the bin.

Residents say they witnessed a near fatal accident at the scene, as a commuter bus side-swapped the skip bin, resulting in the conductor sustaining injuries.

The skip bin was dumped near St Mary’s Total Service Station on Saturday afternoon and by mid-day yesterday it was still in the middle of the road when our news crew visited the area.

Chitungwiza public relations officer, Mr Lovemore Meya, yesterday said the truck carrying the skip dish broke down at that site.

“The rescue team could not manage to take the bin as the truck had two punctures,” he said. “The temporary tyres were unable to carry the skip dish load. They promised to get the dish away today (yesterday).”

A resident, Mr Philip Goto, said the skip bin was now a death trap for motorists.

“A commuter omnibus had an accident this morning and nearly killed people, but it is the conductor who sustained some injuries,” he said. “Our council is sitting on the job, failing to deliver services.

“If the council workers knew that their refuse truck had a mechanical fault, they should have just left the skip bin at its designated site rather than dumping it in the middle of a busy road.”

Mr Goto said the delay to remove the refuse skip bin may promote dumpsites, as residents who used it were now stranded. Another resident, Mr Lee Mbweyo, said the refuse truck that dumped the skip bin had two tyre punctures.

“The refuse truck spent a lot of time idling and the officials said it had no starter that is why they were not switching it off,” he said. “Hours later, another vehicle came to tow it away and the officials just dumped the skip dish in the middle of the road.

“The skip dish spent the whole night at the site up until now.”

Mr Shepherd Tawodzera blamed the council officials for poor planning, saying it should have avoided carrying the skip bin in the first place when they knew that the tyres for the refuse trucks were in bad shape.

“We are paying rates to the council, but to our surprise service delivery is poor,” he said. “It’s a health hazard and a death trap for children who are now coming to collect plastics in the bin.

“Even if the vehicle had broken down they should have at least left the skip bin outside the road, not right in the middle of the road. It does not make sense.”