Suburban
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
GREENDALE residents in Ward 9 under the leadership of Mr Brian Shenje have resolved to stop illegal dumping in the ward and have adopted the naming and shaming of those caught dumping garbage.
The residents are arguing that after engaging council and working to improve refuse collection in the ward, there should be no room for dumping garbage in open spaces in the suburb.
In an interview, Mr Shenje said that there should be no reason for anyone in the ward to dump refuse illegally as the council collects garbage from all residents whether they are paying their rates or not.
“Despite service improvements, we still see dumps in the area. However, under the moniker #TogetherWeCan residents are stepping up to say something when they see something. Over the last four months the sense of community has improved greatly. Anyone planning to dump in Greendale may be reasonably assured that pictures and videos will be taken of them and through my engagement with the city council’s waste management department and the Environmental Management Agency, I am resolute in ensuring we get as many prosecutions and fines issued as a result,” he said.
Mr Shenje bemoaned the fact that while the residents had shown enthusiasm to name and shame the litterbugs the Environmental Management Agency was letting them down.
“The residents are quick to share their findings but we were finding EMA to be a bit sluggish. I engaged EMA director, Mr Mushava, explaining my vision for a dump free Greendale and the residents support for this initiative. He understood that this may only be achieved with suitable support from the agency and commitment to ensure prompt action by the EMA officers. Currently there are three cases sitting with EMA to investigate and hopefully act on tomorrow. I’ll also engage the Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province Mr (Tafadzwa) Muguti who has been vocal about resolving the illegal dumping issues,” said Mr Shenje.
He said another intervention which will come to fruition this year is the installation of new sign posts which guide unrepentant litterbugs of the potential fines they may face.
The City of Harare will be providing the signs for installation at the popular dump sites in the suburb.
Mr Shenje said that no one will be able to say they weren’t warned that Greendale is saying no to their community being a dumping area.
“It’s evident that some residents might not be aware of the development as they might not be on the WhatsApp groups which have been the main communication channel. With thanks to Xpress Printshop, Curaplus Pharmacy, and Established Security, I will be rolling out a program to ensure that more residents are notified of the service improvements by broadening the communication channels. Such corporate social investment becomes sustainable when residents use local businesses so I strongly encourage that if they want to see more development in the area. The Greendale Residents and Ratepayers Association has a role to play in all of this. I will encourage the waste management committee to come up with a strategy and get their hands dirty to ensure that the existing dumps are cleared up,” said Mr Shenje.
He said he believes it is possible to have a dump free community by end of 2023 if only the community works together.
