via EMA expresses concern over littering at roadblocks – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 5, 2016
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has expressed concern over “massive” littering at police and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) permanent roadblock sites, which it says had become an eyesore.
By Tatenda Chitagu
Addressing journalists during a tour of permanent roadblock sites along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road last Friday, EMA Masvingo provincial head Robson Mavhondo said the amount of littering at the sites was going out of hand.
“Of late, there has been massive littering at police and Zimra roadblock sites. It is not that they are the ones littering, but that travellers end up dumping litter when stopped for random searches,” he said.
“We have had several engagements with the concerned government departments and they have promised to act.”
Asked about lack of ablution facilities at roadblocks, Mavhondo said it was the prerogative of the Health and Child Care ministry to ensure they were there at such stop-and-search points.
Mavhondo said the Environment ministry’s June 30 deadline for phasing out kaylites and diapers with biodegradable material as stipulated in Statutory Instrument 84 of 2012 still stood after manufacturers, distributors and retailers failed to submit an ”environmentally-friendly action plan”.
COMMENTS
Littering is a criminal offence, so the ‘concerned government department’is the police, so why are they not arresting the litterers? Or are they soliciting bribes from them?
Littering is one thing. On our way from Bulawayo to Gweru we were stopped at a road block. When we were waved on, a herd of cattle were standing in the middle of the road not 10 meters from where the cops were standing. What did the police do? Absolutely nothing.
Of course they did nothing. They are specialists on traffic duty. If you shot someone in front of them they would do nothing. Besides, they are afraid of cows, never having learned how to herd them.
What we have on display is the apathy of EMA.
What they do well is to collect money from people in tourist business.
Why do touri d t operators have to buy a licence for having ablution blocks. It is stealing plain and simple.
They should be disbanded as they are not fulfilling a useful duty.
Same as ZINARA – did anyone see a road maintenance crew lately? The toll money is used for civil servants salaries. It’s called ‘fraud’.