President Mnangagwa annoyed by deplorable state of Mbare, orders council to tackle littering

DURING a visit to Mbare for the Defence Forces commemorations, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was confronted with the deterioration of the high-density suburb, which has been exacerbated by the inadequate delivery of services by council.

So displeased was President Mnangagwa by the current state of Mbare that he directed the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, to ensure that councils across the country tackle littering.

Speaking recently at a meeting with local authorities in Harare, Garwe said the city councils should address the garbage that has become a common sight.

“Tuesday, His Excellency drove to Rufaro Stadium and what received him enroute to Rufaro Stadium was not pleasing. We were given a directive that we must implement as we leave this room.

“In every local authority we must, with immediate effect, deal with the issues of littering. I know we need support of Home Affairs and ZRP but with the resources that we have with the municipal police, we should be able to enforce our by-laws and make sure that people clean wherever they are operating,” said Garwe.

Some major cities in Zimbabwe have been struggling to manage refuse collection and maintain a semblance of cleanliness.

Harare has become the epitome of this struggle, with garbage piling up in residential areas such as Mbare.

Despite the involvement of a private company, Geo Pomona, in handling garbage collection in Harare, council has failed to eliminate the waste problem in the city.

NewZimbabwe