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Obert Chifamba Manicaland Bureau Chief
Government recently approved Mutare City Council’s $1 million budget to procure refuse collection trucks and equipment, the city’s public relations officer, Mr Spren Mutiwi, has said. The equipment includes two tippers, three tractors, three refuse compactors, a backhaul loader and seven utility vehicles.

In the long term, Mutare plans to have 10 refuse compactors.
“At the moment, we only have two trucks that are functional and are failing to make a mark in refuse collection, which has seen mounds of garbage forming everywhere in and around the city. As a local authority, we ended up hiring seven trucks from private companies and individuals to remove the garbage. We are mindful of the fact that cholera easily breaks out where there is uncollected garbage, so we settled for this option as a stop-gap measure,” said Mr Mutiwi.

“I am happy that since we took that option two weeks ago, we have managed to remove garbage from all our 19 wards effectively and regularly. We will continue with the programme, which is in second phase now, until our consignment of vehicles and equipment is purchased,” he said.

Outsourcing support from private companies, Mr Mutiwi said, was a workable low-cost alternative.
“As a local authority, we are encouraging community- based organisations that can do refuse collection to partner council in doing that and we pay them. The deal actually removes the burden of meeting labour costs from us, as the people we contract will provide their own manpower. It also instils a sense of responsibility and ownership in residents and helps improve the way they handle litter or council resources,” he added.

Mutare, he said, was struggling to access foreign currency to bankroll its projects and is considering approaching the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for support.