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Tafadzwa Chibukwa, [email protected]

A city that used to be admired and adored by all  for its cleanliness has fallen from its grace.

Fallen from hero to zero.Will Bulawayo ever reclaim its former glory as one of the smartest cities in the Sadc region? It does not seem so.

Bulawayo’s suburbs, including the central business district sanitary lanes are of concern as they have become a haven for litter.

The local authority has expressed concern over rampant illegal dumping which has put the city to shame as it leaves litter and garbage everywhere. The council has even resorted to night time refuse collection and spring clean up campaigns, which have been futile as the illegal dumping continues.

Areas such as Fifth Avenue, Tredgold Building area, Jason Moyo between Fourth and Fifth Avenue, Corner 10th Avenue and Fort Street among others are well known dumping areas. 

Residents who spoke to Chronicle expressed different concerns regarding littering and illegal dumping in the city.

Some laid the blame on illegal vendors, while others blamed the local authority for not doing its job. Others said large supermarkets and companies were to blame.

Mr James Batsirai, of Njube suburb blamed the littering on illegal vendors who have taken over the city.

He said the city has since lost its glory because of their activities.

“When we talk about the issue of the litter and dirt that is all over the city, we cannot leave out the activities being conducted by the illegal vendors along Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. We can’t ignore the amount of dirt found around the areas they work and sell their products,” said Mr Batsirai.

He said as soon as vendors are allocated space where they will operate from, the illegal dumping will also reduce.

Ms Sakhile Ndlovu of Lobengula suburb held different sentiments as she laid the blame entirely on the local authority.

She said the Bulawayo City Council was not performing its duties.

“We would not be in this mess in the first place if the city council was doing its job. Obviously someone is sleeping on their job here. In as much as we can say that vendors and people are being careless, we also need to put into account the fact that the council has not been performing its duty of late. You find that garbage piles into such large heaps, which would not have happened if they had continued to collect litter and keep the place clean. No one in their right mind would throw litter at a clean place,” said Ms Ndlovu.

Mr Keith Dube said the increase in population is also influencing littering.

“Increase in the city’s population is playing a big factor in the littering of the city because at first people were not this many and there was not much diversity in cultures and traditions. Today you find that many people are now operating in the streets hustling and some come from very far parts of the country. They don’t have any knowledge of the city’s history and they come with values from where ever they come from,” he said.

Bulawayo City Council Corporate Communications Manager, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said the city’s cleanliness lies in the hands of all residents coming together, and making sure that their surroundings are kept clean.

She said the erosion of societal values and culture has influenced many different people to embrace littering in the city.

“The cleanliness of the city was a value held in great esteem by many. The erosion of the societal value system has seen an increase in the dirtiness of the city as some people litter because littering has become accepted as part of the culture. Littering is also being caused by increased illegal vending as well as manufacturers and traders who are now producing a higher volume of litter-generating products and packaging made of materials like plastic. For example, the plastic bottles that are ubiquitous as litter in our streets were not an issue in the past as we had returnable glass bottles which were not prone to being littered,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She said often, it is some residents who add to the burden by their laziness and dependence on the city council to keep their environment clean.

“Some people litter out of laziness or carelessness and the conviction that it’s the duty of council workers to go after them and pick up litter. This arrogance and laziness from residents is contributing immensely to the city getting dirtier by the minute because the residents are also not concerned about their surroundings,” said Mrs Mpofu.

In a bid to fight the increase in littering and get rid of the waste hotspots, the council last year initiated a new law in which anyone caught littering will be arrested and made to pay a fine.

The council has also initiated community projects and clean-up campaigns where they have engaged residents to take part in cleaning up suburbs from time to time.

Mrs Mpofu said the council is monitoring 43 hotspots in the city centre.

“With the many hotspots in the city centre as well as shortage of resources for garbage collection and waste management, we have formed partnership with private operating truck owners to take up garbage collection in some areas where we were now falling short in providing our services.

“What is important as well is the fact that the cleanliness of our city depends on how we maintain it as residents hence as the council we urge each and every resident to take responsibility of their surrounding and see to it that where ever they are is always kept clean,” said Mrs Mpofu.