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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Harare City Council has spent $1,2 million hiring vehicles for refuse collection as most of its compactors and skip trucks have developed major mechanical problems resulting in frequent breakdowns, leading to failure to regularly collect refuse.

The amount spent so far is enough to buy at least ten compactors.

Council has been failing to collect garbage for some time, resulting in the outbreak of waterborne diseases in suburbs like Mbare. The council was forced to hire trucks during a typhoid outbreak early this year.

Harare last beefed up its fleet of refuse collection trucks in 2010 and has not been able to provide proper service to the vehicles.

Each truck is operating for an average of 18 hours every day, leading to frequent breakdowns.

Residents are now forced to dump waste on street corners.

Acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube told councillors at a full council on Tuesday that hiring trucks was not sustainable after they demanded that council hires more trucks to clear all dumps in the city.

“Most of our refuse trucks are not functioning but we expect the situation to improve as we are expecting the first batch of 17 compactors to be delivered next week. The money we spent hiring is enough to buy at least 10 compactors,” said Mrs Ncube.

Government recently approved a request by Harare City Council to borrow $30 million to buy additional refuse trucks and equipment for road maintenance.

Council has already purchased 30 trucks, which will augment its existing fleet.