Suburban
WARD 18 residents under the Borrowdale Ratepayers and Residents Association have funded the repair of one garbage collection truck which is now servicing suburbs in the ward.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Although the total amount of money used was not disclosed, residents footed the bill to repair the truck’s brakes and the compactor started collecting refuse in some parts of Ward 18 on Monday this week.
There is still outstanding work to be done on the garbage compactor which includes a complete servicing of the engine and hydraulics, repairing electricals and replacing other damaged and missing components such as mirrors and tail lamps.
The development means the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the BRRA and the City of Harare (CoH) — under which the residents’ body proposed to adopt three council refuse compactors and repair them so they could be dedicated to Ward 18 before they are deployed elsewhere — is now becoming a reality and bringing the desired results.
The BRRA has managed to get the first truck back on the road and it started its rounds on a test basis in the Borrowdale and Greystone Park area on Monday morning.
Residents woke up to find the refuse collection truck collecting garbage from households after nearly a month of residents living with mounds of piling rubbish.
The process of implementing the MOU between the BRRA and council had slowed down and for a while was showing signs of collapsing after residents from Borrowdale Brooke, who had undertaken to fix one of the three trucks, pulled out citing the change in the costs of repairing the truck.
It is believed that the quotation to buy the spares needed to revive the truck was initially put at about US$5 000 before it shot astronomically to US$20 000, forcing the Brooke residents to look at other alternatives such as buying their own refuse collection truck.
But the BRRA, to which Brooke residents belong through their Borrowdale Brooke Home Owners Association, remained hopeful something could be salvaged from the MOU and was relentless in seeing it through and kept pursuing their plans with the City of Harare.
The residents’ body went back to the municipality and requested to be allocated trucks which cost less to revive and bring back on the road.
Council duly responded and the residents wasted no time in making donations to fund the repairs.
In an interview this week, the BRRA chairperson Mr Robert Mutyasira said the breakthrough was a significant development as it gives hope that they are moving in the right direction in working with the local authority.
“We are elated that we have the first set of wheels turning and giving hope to our residents is our first port of call.
“We are amazed by the responsiveness of the city on this matter as they are equally determined to see the full implementation of the arrangement.
“Our request to them to provide vehicles with less costs for repair was expeditiously addressed. They called us in to see the vehicle the other Monday and provided the list of the items to be attended to.
“BRRA immediately deliberated on the matter and appealed for donations from residents for the initial stages of repairs and here we are today, our garbage is going to where it must be,” he said.
The BRRA leader said there were still a number of other issues which need to be fixed on the first vehicle they were allocated.
“The vehicle still has a number of issues to be attended to so that it serves us longer without significant breakdowns that will take us back to the deplorable situation.
“Residents must know that this is now our baby and the problem of piling garbage may soon be over if we are responsible to contribute towards its running and secondly to minimise its mileage by separating waste at source.
“This entails that only waste that cannot be recycled should be carried away by the truck. We appeal to residents to sort all recyclables, that they can actually monetise, at home and use all degradable waste to enrich their garden composts.
“If this is religiously followed, we will have less waste for the truck to carry and its longevity of service will be guaranteed,” said Mr Mutyasira.
He added that residents could also assist by finding places in their neighbourhoods where they can drop off their waste only on days that are scheduled for collection in their area as advised on their various online platforms.
As it is BRRA still has a long way to go to ensure that they meet all the terms and conditions under the MOU. Residents have to come on board and assisted the BRRA to build financial reserves adequate to keep the refuse and other projects alive, Mr Mutyasira said.
BRRA executive committee member Mrs Pat Townsend said residents were excited about the breakthrough although it was still a work in progress and there was still more work to be done.
“The residents are very happy with the refuse truck development. For this week it covered Greystone Park and it will be based at the district office.
“We just have a few loose ends to tie up with the local authority then we will be good to go. It’s still a work in progress and we are hoping that when all the residents see the truck collecting refuse they will be motivated to contribute (financially), because we need more funds for maintenance,” said Mrs Townsend.
