Angelah Nothando Mlotshwa
Environmental and Health Reporter
The Bulawayo City Council Budget consultative meeting held last Friday at the Small City Hall turned into a tantrum throwing by some residents who attended.
The meeting became a free for all as residents vented their frustration onto Audrey Manyemwe who was presenting the proposed budget on behalf of the City Mayor, Cllr. Solomon Mguni.
Cllr. Mguni has been conspicuous by his absence in many public events where most times he is represented by his deputy.
This time around the Mayor was represented by Audrey Manyemwe who became the fall guy.
One of the speakers bemoaned the fact that seemingly the City Fathers have normalised hiring of any truck turning them into garbage refuse trucks.
It has been alleged that these trucks belong to either Councillors or
third parties known to council employees.
Contractual obligations have been signed between the truck owners and BCC.
In every location, these contracted trucks are seen roaming door to door picking up bins or garbage from dumpsites.
It is the conduct of these contracted trucks that raised the ire of one of the attendees who enquired the absence of the official City Council refuse trucks.
The speaker said that the employees of these contracted trucks lack professionalism and they do not conduct themselves as such. They do not pick up dirt that falls from bins or their trucks, it is left there and this leads to clumsiness and more dirt unto the streets posing health hazards.
Where are the refuse trucks?
Bulawayo City Council is failing to explain the absence of these essential refuse trucks.
Bulawayo City has become a health hazard full of ubiquitous garbage. The City’s image has become so deplorable and is becoming slowly unpleasant to those who live within it.
Along 6th Avenue and Herbert Chitepo Street one cannot miss the unpleasant ordour coming from alleys that service supermarkets around.
Further along 6th Avenue Extension opposite Makokoba suburb, there is uncollected dump.
Dump is found along 5th Street, the market area. There is visible uncollected garbage in almost alleys.
Flies and mosquitoes are resident in all these uncollected dumpsites posing more health risks to residents.
The once leading clean City has turned into a castle full of dirty.
Bulawayo has lost its luster of cleanliness.
There is also the issue of promised ambulances which are still unaccounted for.
“Where are the ambulances we were promised? They were last heard to be in Harare, please follow up on that issue and provide transparency to all Council negotiations. Another thing, what is happening Egodini? Buses are all over town you can’t walk on Hebert Chitepo its packed and uncomfortable.” Questioned Ortilia Sibanda.
Sibanda was referring to the snail pace of the completion of Egodini Bus Terminus.
The place was closed years ago after a South African based company, Terracotta was awarded the tender to reconstruct the bus termini into a modern state of the art infrastructure.
Political bickering has seen the project fail to meet target after target.
This has resulted in Commuter Omnibus passenger vehicles picking up passengers all over town. These pick up places are spread across the city causing chaos and despondency to other motorists.
Sibanda went on to attack the City Parking tender that was awarded to Tendy Three Investments as unacceptable.
“City council receives 30% of the revenue, while TTI ( what ever animal that is) walks away with 70%”.
“Its better to finish the whole year trying to buy our own resources and serve our city because at the end of it all, we will be sure that it (purchased resource) is all ours instead of making other people rich on our expense.”
“You are doing nothing, people are invading streets which we do not know who gave them…you are busy drinking coffee in your offices, what are you saying if Bulawayo is this rotten?”, said ward 8 chairperson of Mzilikazi suburb Thandekile Moyo.
Moyo was referring to illegal vendors who have invaded 5th Avenue claiming they were allocated the bays by ZANU-PF. In previous reports The Mayor, Cllr. Mguni was quoted as saying the council has failed to remove these vendors because of their political clout.
BCC spokesperson, Nesisa Mpofu had not responded to questions sent to her through email regarding the issues above