Suburban
PENSIONERS from Marlborough, who recently wrote to the Harare mayor and town clerk complaining over lack of refuse collection, say the situation has not improved.
Ivan Zhakata Suburban Reporter
The failure by council to collect refuse has resulted in some residents dumping their refuse at the local district office in protest over the non-collection of garbage.
Mrs Joyce Mtshani-Khumalo, speaking on behalf of the pensioners, said refuse was collected once after she wrote a letter to the acting mayor Councillor Stewart Mutizwa and the acting town clerk Engineer Phakamile Moyo expressing their disgruntlement over council’s negligence in collecting refuse.
“The truck came once unannounced beginning of May and many houses were missed. We do not know when is the next collection. It appears it is once a month if at all,” she said.
On April 25, Mrs Mtshani-Khumalo wrote to council officials saying they had exhausted all channels of getting refuse collected with no success.
She said the main response from the council was all trucks were broken down or the were few that were available could not cope.
“In essence, the City Council has totally failed to collect refuse.
“It has left most residents either burning rubbish or digging pits in their premises to bury rubbish.
“Some of us who are ecologically conscious have engaged private collectors to collect.
“Under such circumstances it is incorrigible for council to continue charging residents for refuse charges when there is no collection.
“Can your office scrape off the refuse charges from our bills with immediate effect back to March 2022?”
Mrs Mtshani-Khumalo said from February 2022 going to back to 2021, the collection was once a month and rarely fortnightly.
“Adjust our bills accordingly. Some of us are prepared to go to court for this and will only pay for the service delivered period. We hope to receive your cooperation in this matter,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has urged residents to write letters of complaints and make time to visit council offices in groups to demand services.
“Sitting at home and merely complaining will not resolve things.
“Let the officials know that you are watching them,” HRT said in a statement.
