Suburban
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
CITY of Harare waste collectors have been accused by Mandara residents of not picking garbage of property owners who do not offer them some form of payment as an incentive.
This week, some residents of Mandara complained that a City of Harare refuse collection truck left their garbage behind after they failed to pay bribes to the waste management department workers who pick rubbish from households.
The residents said the council waste collectors only picked garbage from houses of residents who had paid them bribes leaving out rubbish at those houses whose owners did not pay them an incentive.
“They are picking rubbish only at houses paying bribes.
“Give them something and they will come and empty your bins,” said one Mandara resident.
However, in neighbouring Greendale residents said the council waste collectors who picked rubbish bins on Knowetop Drive over two weeks ago never asked for an incentive.
“They were hooting and I managed to catch up with them and the rubbish was collected without paying an incentive,” said a Greendale resident.
Another resident of Greendale also confirmed that her garbage was collected without having to pay a bribe.
Contacted for comment, City of Harare spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the city was not aware of such reports but will investigate the allegations by Mandara residents.
He urged residents to report such council workers to the municipality so that the local authority takes disciplinary action against the culprits.
Refuse collection in Greendale and Mandara has however improved with compactors collecting garbage from the two suburbs more than once a week.
In Greendale, council collected garbage on Wednesday last week on Gelcon Avenue and Marion Edwards Road.
A resident of Knowetop Drive said council returned to collect rubbish after 15 days which he described as a huge improvement.
On Monday, a City of Harare refuse compactor was also seen on Coronation Avenue hooting and collecting garbage.
Some residents of Mandara said the compactor collected garbage on Monday morning during the Heroes Day holiday.
On Wednesday, the compactor also collected on such roads as Belant and Innerliethan, according to residents.
Presenting his State of the City Address two weeks ago, Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume admitted the challenges bedevilling waste management in the capital city.
Councillor Mafume, however, said the City of Harare was working on remodelling its waste management strategies in a bid to improve efficiency.
“Solid waste management: Our City is faced with huge challenges in the areas of waste collection, disposal and management. We are remodelling the waste management function in Harare by transforming it from traditional waste collection and disposal to Integrated Solid Waste Management,” he said.
The Mayor said the city continues to operate with a severely depleted fleet of refuse collection compactors hugely compromising the municipality’s efficiency. This has led to piles of rubbish accumulating in residential areas, at business premises and public places such as shopping centres.
Illegal dumping has also become a menace in Harare as result of the municipality’s failure to run an effective waste management programme.
“Your City for the past six months managed to maintain an average daily fleet of 10 Compactors out of a desired 46 Compactors to collect waste in the 46 Wards. We are currently collecting waste from 207 000 properties. Our collection efficiency has been compromised due to non-availability of adequate fleet and this has seen the recurrence of illegal dumps across the City.
“Recently we purchased three compactors using our own funds and we are hoping to purchase more before the end of the year if Government honours its obligation to release devolution funds which we had budgeted for the purchase of refuse collection compactors and trucks,” said Cllr Mafume.
He said the city is seized with efforts to look for an alternative hazardous waste disposal site following the closure of the Golden Quarry site.
“We will also continue to engage the Government for identification of a hazardous waste disposal site. Currently the city has no such site as the one at Golden Quarry was decommissioned to pave way for the National Museum. Street cleaning remains a challenge. We are worried with increased littering in the CBD (central business district). We are working with various partners to install pole litter bins in the CBD, and we are calling upon willing partners and waste collection companies, plastic manufacturing companies and industrialists to partner the City in the installation of bins which we commit to manage effectively,” said Cllr Mafume.
He said the City of Harare supports Government’s initiative under the National Clean Up Day, which is held every first Friday of the new month, to promote cleanliness in residential areas, business premises and public places.
“We support the initiative by Government to dedicate the first Friday of the month as National Clean Up day. As a City we are fully supportive and we will participate fully on these national programmes.”
