Ward 9 demands efficient services

Residents of Greendale want efficient refuse collection, water supply and trafficable roads to be prioritised in the City of Harare 2025 budget.

Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter

The residents made the demands at the Ward 9 pre-budget meeting held last Thursday at Greendale Sports Club.

According to residents, roads such as Wilson and Greengrove Roads in Greendale are in dire need of repairs.

Residents also bemoaned the poor state of refuse collection in the ward and urged council to improve its revenue collection given most residents are not paying their rates.

In response to the concerns of residents, council officials said plans were underway to repair badly damaged roads in the ward.

“Greengrove and Wilson Roads, we have proposed to do reconstruction. We hope to do it soon. The good news is we have received fuel, about 50 000 litres. Right now we are in Mabvuku. When we finish Mabvuku, we will do something before the end of the year,” said Mr Maxwell Sauramba from the council roads department.

Residents of Greendale North said they do not have water for the past three weeks.

Greendale Residents and Ratepayers’ Association vice chairperson Mr Tinashe Hwindingwi said some parts of the suburb used to receive water once a week but that was no longer the case as the water crisis deepens.

Another Greendale resident told the meeting that they receive water for half a day.

Residents asked the meeting what systems the city had in place for revenue collection.

“We would like to know why you are not collecting and what have you done to make sure ratepayers pay.

“The way the economy is now; it has changed for the past 20 years especially for City of Harare.  And there is an opportunity for the City of Harare to raise more money.

“Take for example, Barbours, we used to shop from there 20, 30 years ago, it used to be one big shop.

“Now how many cubicles are there?  Is council collecting licences from each tenant in there like at Old Mutual Robert Mugabe SMEs (complex), you’ve got so many tenants there, maybe 100?

“So if City of Harare were efficient, monies would be raised from licences,” he said.

Residents also said the recent meeting held at Town House to discuss the cluster house policy for Harare revealed that council is not collecting property tax from the new cluster houses built in the city.

“The councillor for Mabelreign actually raised a pertinent point that the City of Harare is not collecting property tax from new cluster developments.

“A cluster development in his area with 15 units is still paying the same (amount for) one unit, two years after, then we said why are these guys sleeping?

“We are losing the opportunity to collect money.

“Those people are prepared to pay the taxes but if you don’t issue them with invoices, they won’t pay,” said a resident.

Greendale residents raised concerns over the rate at which wetlands in the suburb were disappearing due to housing developments.

The residents said in the early 1980s officials at the Greendale District Office told them that no construction should take place on the wetland near Willies Dam.

“I was shocked now there are so many houses in the area and when you go through Barrie Close, people built houses where they were not allowed. They actually dug the place close to that little river which feeds Willies Dam. And then you expect people like myself to say I must pay rates and all that. There is no way because I’m disgusted even to say city council is still around. Don’t call us for meetings because there’s nothing you are doing (to fix these issues),” said a disappointed resident.

Ward 9 Councillor Prince Mutebuka said a petition had been submitted before over the Willies Dam wetland and the town planning committee had rejected applications for permits to develop houses on the wetland.

“There was a petition for that place. And I know there is a building restriction on that piece of land. We have rejected that in the town planning committee. So whoever is doing something there, it’s illegal because they don’t have any paperwork for them to be building.

“We rejected that application for the removal of that restriction to build there. And I’m sure we are making progress with the Greengrove Nature Reserve to make sure we secure that piece of wetland as recreational. We are not going to allow houses to be built in that area especially when I’m councillor,” said Cllr Mutebuka

He said the town planning committee rejected an effort to regularise the settlement on the Willies Dam wetland.

“And I will make sure that it remains like that.

“Those who have already built, we will see what we can do about that but I don’t think right now there’s construction taking place,” said Cllr Mutebuka.

Residents said despite a new refuse compactor deployed to Greendale, refuse collection remains poor in the suburb.

“My suggestion is if they choose a certain road, they should collect refuse on the same roads on the same day. If it’s Monday and it’s going on Greengrove, it should go on Greengrove.

“If they go half of Greengrove, they should continue from where it ended and people also know it’s always on Greengrove (on Mondays),” said a resident.

Residents said they always hear that the compactor is going around but they never see it.

“It does not come to our place and we cannot put garbage outside because stray dogs come and you spend most of your time picking garbage,” she said.

Acting regional manager for Region 5 Mrs Faith Raradza instructed Mr Felix Mhembere from the city’s Department of Works to address the residents’ refuse concerns given they now have a new compactor.

“I think it’s an issue of communication.  Mhembere please take this up because we can’t be talking of refuse collection in Greendale.

“At least we have something that we are doing in Greendale,” she said.

Residents said devolution funds should be disbursed early to allow the council time to factor in the money at the planning stage.

Greengrove Nature Reserve committee chairperson Mrs Suzanne Chirikure asked if council has a budget for the recreational reserve.

“Is there a budget for Greendale to support these efforts?

“For example, we feel we have to build a fence around and the dam wall is broken and needs to be repaired and this is a major expense,” she said.

Mrs Raradza said the city had an environmental programme under which recreational parks should be covered.

“We will take what you’re saying as a submission because the city has a programme for natural resources and conservation,” she said.

Cllr Mutebuka said there is need for decentralisation of allocation of resources in the city.

“As part of the budget let’s have an account dedicated to our region or ward that will meet the needs, at least the petty ones,” he said.

Cllr Mutebuka said there is need to build a shed at Greendale council clinic.

Mr Lovemore Chivaura a signatory to the Harare East Constituency Development Fund said the plan for Greendale Clinic was in place and the bill of quantities was done.

“The money was not enough. We were going to ask the city council to come in as well,” he said.

Cllr Mutebuka said the provision for internet services and solar power back-up at Greendale District Office should be included in the budget. He said a power back up system is essential to ensure revenue collection is not affected by power cuts.

Cllr Mutebuka said proper vending places for each shopping centre should also be included in the budget.

“We are working with the planner, for a start this year we want one for Athlone shops,” he said.

Cllr Mutebuka said bus stops should be included in the budget.

Mrs Chirikure said Glenara Avenue needs to be widened as well as build pedestrian walkways and cycle tracks to ease congestion on the road.