Illegal dumpsite at council premises

Source: Illegal dumpsite at council premises | The Herald

Blessings Chidakwa and Vongai Chinjeke
Illegal dumpsites are mushrooming in Harare’s residential and business areas including the local authority’s Remembrance Drive offices, a clear sign the opposition is incapacitated to run the affairs of the city.

The Herald crew yesterday visited the Remembrance Drive offices where they were welcomed by a heap of uncollected garbage.

There was a female security guard seated next to a heap of stashed plastic bins, a drum, a tyre among other litter scattered along the road heading to the offices.

At Kamfinsa shopping centre there was also garbage with two men wearing orange council overalls offloading two bins. Also the rubbish was being burned posing a serious health and environmental hazard. In Warren Park several illegal dumpsites are now a common feature among them near 27th Crescent where illegal drug dealers are dumping containers of broncleer. This was almost a similar situation across the city where rubbish was being dumped on street corners, open spaces and in graveyards.

Combined Harare Residents Association programmes manager Mr Reuben Akili said service delivery in general has been lagging behind.

“Over the past month there has been a serious decline in terms of service delivery. As residents we need to pay for services rendered not being coerced to paying for services which we are not receiving,” he said.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said residents were disgruntled by the poor service being offered by the council. “Corruption by officials and councillors is affecting service delivery more than anything else,” he said.

Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme yesterday said they were collecting garbage across the city.