Suburban
IRKED by erratic service delivery, residents from Ward 41 in Marlborough are demanding for a district officer based at the area offices.
Suburban Reporters
For some time, Marlborough has been served by a district officer operating from Mabelreign, which is in Ward 16.
Marlborough residents believe it is this arrangement that has seen issues in the suburb taking longer to be responded to.
Central to their grievances are issues around unreliable refuse collection, an alarming deterioration in the state of the roads, waste removal companies messing up sections of the suburb by dumping waste everywhere, while polluting a tributary of the Gwebi River.
Residents are also unhappy about the irregular supply of water and poor street lights, which appear to encourage the nocturnal activities of thieves.
The rate at which refuse collection is being attended to led to some incensed residents dumping their waste at the Marlborough Civic Centre. This act of desperation by residents seems to have finally moved City of Harare into action, resulting in the mounting rubbish being cleared.
Similarly, with grass becoming overgrown at intersections of roads in the suburb, residents concerned at the development rallied together in order to take matters into their own hands and prevent potential loss of lives resulting from road traffic accidents.
In some cases in the suburb, residents are pooling resources in order to undertake repairs to roads in the area because of gaping potholes that are damaging vehicles.
There is a growing consensus that most of the problems residents in Marlborough face arise from the fact that the District Officer is based at Mabelreign District Office.
But this is a development that puzzles residents to no end. Marlborough extends from Golden Stairs/Second Street Extension in the east right through to Good Hope and the developments near the new Parliament in Mount Hampden, yet is served from Mabelreign which, in comparison is smaller. Similarly, Mt Pleasant in Ward 17 has a resident District Officer.
In order to get refuse collected during this rainy season, residents have relentlessly pestered City of Harare officials almost on a daily basis. The belief is that council has acted only to avoid being bothered, and possibly because of the health hazard to council workers operating in an environment that had become a dumpsite. So the growing chorus in recent weeks has been that the suburb should have a resident district officer. The belief is that at least the turnaround time in attending to issues in the area will be faster. Residents may have to wait longer for an answer to their prayers, though.
According to the recalled Councillor for Ward 41, Mrs Kudzai Kadzombe, residents have to write a letter to the Town Clerk of the City of Harare, copied to the Human Resources Director, arguing the case for a District Officer for Marlborough. The reason why residents may have to wait longer for a resolution to their predicament is because currently the City of Harare has an Acting Mayor, Acting Town Clerk and Acting Human Resources Director, among other key decision-makers at Town House.
The original holders of those posts are appearing before the courts, where they are facing various allegations.
Meanwhile, the piles of garbage that had accumulated at the Marlborough Civic Centre were removed this week in a joint operation by council and well-wishers.
District officer Mr Takawira Maganga urged residents to desist from dumping litter at the district office as it is now clean and a conducive working environment.
“We have cleared Marlborough District Office dumpsite with assistance from council and well-wishers. Residents should desist from dumping at the office as this will not solve their grievances. Let’s work together as a community, where they feel they have issues with council they should come forth and we assist each other,” he said.
Mr Maganga encouraged residents to pay their rates to enable council to deliver services.
“Payment of bills should be a priority so that we will also be in a position to give adequate service. Revenue collection in Marlborough remains record low with an average 32 to 35 percent.”
A private firm, BSCC Civil Works and Plant Hire, situated at 2832 Pachena Road in Old Marlborough also assisted to remove the garbage from the district office.
