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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Angry Chitungwiza residents on Tuesday dumped waste at the Zengeza 2 administration offices to demonstrate their displeasure over what they termed poor service delivery by council.

Sources at the offices said a group of residents dumped garbage at the entrance saying it was a warning for council to collect refuse regularly around the town.

“We were surprised to see a group of residents coming inside the premises only to dump their waste here. The residents were shouting saying they were fed up with making reports yet refuse was not being collected in their areas.

“They said the council management was sleeping on duty and was doing nothing to resolve issues to do with service delivery. They said they were going to do worse things if the matter is not addressed.”

Another source at the council head office said the council’s top leadership was inept as it was even failing to address housekeeping issues at its own offices.

Toilets at the head office are said to be a health hazard and have had no flushing system for several years.

Residents’ associations warned council to take issues of service delivery seriously to avoid a backlash from ratepayers

Chitungwiza Residents’ Association (Chitrest) director Ms Alice Kuvheya said more was on the way if council failed to address their grievances.

“We have been saying for a long time that there is no service delivery to talk about in Chitungwiza.

“We recommend council to take action because what happened at Zengeza2 administration offices is just a foretaste of things to come.

“If they continue to ignore us, we are going to take the sewage that we are living in to the head office where the management is because apparently people are fed up with their ‘we don’t care’ attitude,” she said.

Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents’ Association (Camera) director Mr Marvellous Khumalo said residents have in the past tried to engage with council but such dialogue did not produce the desired  results.

Chitungwiza municipality public relations officer Mr Lovemore Meya castigated the residents’ action.

“This is rowdy behaviour that is uncalled for being perpetrated by political malcontents bent on tarnishing the image of council and Government.

“The shortage of fuel is a national problem being addressed, hence as Chitungwiza Municipality we have since removed all the garbage after getting fuel supplies,” he said.