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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter

MDC-led Chitungwiza Municipality remains a cause for serious concern as it is struggling to fence off its dumpsite despite recording several deaths caused by hot ashes and toxic chemicals.

Our news crew yesterday visited the dumpsite which is operating illegally in breach of High Court order and found mounds of uncollected garbage

By 10am three council trucks had dumped garbage without following waste management procedures, including grading system.

Despite a sign written “Chitungwiza Municipality Unit L Landfill site” at a graveyard, people continued trespassing and farming.

Some kids were playing on the garbage nearby hot ashes exposing them to danger.

Scavengers were also seen going about their businesses while some illegal farmers were weeding right in the middle of the dumpsite.

Brick moulding was also underway with huge open pits left all over the dumpsite.

Chitungwiza Municipality public relations officer Mr Lovemore Meya yesterday confirmed the chaos at the dumpsite.

“We once flighted an advert for a tender to put up a perimeter fence and it did not sail through due to lack of funds. However, we could not pursue the issue since we realised that there was a high probability of it being stolen as was the case at our sewerage treatment plant.

“We have now settled for a precast concrete wall to safeguard the dumpsite,” he said.

A man found at the dumpsite who castigated the municipality’s waste management system.

“These are some of the system failures of Chitungwiza council . . .

“This is a very unorthodox way of managing dumping sites.

“We now have gone green. Plastics are supposed to be selected into specific containers for processing and disposal,” he said.

In 2020, residents sued the local authority after some children were burnt at the dumpsite and High Court Judge Justice Mary Zimba Dube on November 4, 2020 granted an order in their favour.

Justice Dube ruled that Chitungwiza Municipality was operating the dumpsite illegally, in a manner which violates residents’ right to safe environment.

The municipality was also ordered to fence off the dumpsite with wrought iron fence and erect visible warning signs indicating areas which pose danger to the public.

It was further interdicted and prohibited from operating the dumpsite until the site has been certified and commissioned for use by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA)