CHINHOYI Residents have blasted the town council for failing to do its job. The condemnation
comes after residents in some high-density areas have gone for more than a month without refuse
being collected and council not attending to the illegal dumpsites.
The residents say that they are infuriated by council’s lack of seriousness, charging that it is now
beyond doubt that the council cannot keep the town clean.
A resident, who requested anonymity, said he detested the council’s unremorseful attitude
towards the refuse collection and wondered if the residents still had any confidence in the
council.
“How can we expect the council to clean the locations when it is failing to clean its own
backyard? The park is a mess and they themselves are also dumping refuse in the park at a
borehole which is no longer functioning.
“Instead of repairing the borehole, they have turned the place into a dumping site, which makes
one wonder how we can expect it to fulfill its mandate because they are already failing to
maintain their own premises.”
In some areas in Cold Stream, the council is said to have stopped collecting refuse in November
last year, which resulted in an increase in dumping areas. The council only resumed collection of
refuse last week.
“Marara akapedzisira kutakurwa gore rakapera muna November, last week ndipo pavakazotanga
kutakura but, vaingotakura mabhini chete.
“Madumping areas akasiiwa akadaro zvekuti isu tiri kutotadza kugara zvakanaka nokuda
kwekuti marara ari kunhuwa. Zvakare this is leaving us exposed kuzvirwere,” said Tsitsi Moyo.
Another resident, identifying himself as Tatenda, dismissed council’s excuse that it is failing to
collect refuse because sometimes they do not have fuel. He said that the truth was that council
does not collect just because they do not care.
“Chokwadi ndechekuti kanzuru haidi kutakura marara and haina kana basa nazvo because
vashandi vanenge varipo zvakare fuel inenge iripo.
“Dai vasina fuel mota dzavo dzaisamboswera dzichitenderera zvadzinoita. Ingori nyaya yekuti
havazivi zvavanofanira kukoshesa kana kuti vanozvikoshesa kudarika vamwe vanhu vese.”
Chinhoyi Municipality Public Relations Manager, Tichaona Mlauzi, denied all the allegations
that the council is not collecting refuse and instead blamed the residents and business people for
not putting out their bins and then dumping rubbish at undesignated areas.
“We are in the process of clearing all the dumpsites. Apparently, we have come to realise that the
residents of Cold Stream do not put their bins outside for our collection when our people pass by.
“They end up creating dumps, but we urge them to put out their bins outside at places that are
accessible to our lorries.”
He appealed to the business people to put their refuse out for collection instead of dumping at
undesignated sites.
“We would also like to appeal to the shop owners, bottle stores and barber shops. We have found
out that a lot of hair products and disposable bottles are part of the dump, they should actually
store them somewhere for disposal.”
Mlauzi also refuted allegations that the council staff were dumping refuse in the park.
“We are trying very much to ensure that the place is clean. It’s very unfortunate that when the
dumping occurs, it is during the night when there is nobody within the park,” he said.
However, several residents have insisted that the council should not hide behind a finger as they
are well aware that some areas have gone for over a month without refuse being collected. It is
the council’s duty to clear the dumpsites that have mushroomed.
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