Kubatana.net ~ an online community of Zimbabwean activists

Vomiting our gulls over the stench in Harare

TOP del.icio.us

Harare used to have public toilets situated at many suburban shopping centers. But these days the toilets are often locked. I guess the City of Harare doesn’t want people sleeping in them. The City also can’t supply water to them. So rather keep the toilets shut than have them stinking up the place. Of course this makes some sense but people passing through shopping centers or people vending in many of the vending communities that coexist next to shopping centers, shit and pee in the bush.

I’m convinced that the Mayor of Harare and the other head honchos don’t ever walk the streets of Harare. If they did they’d very promptly “vomit their gulls” as Tendai (below) suggests because the stench and dirt in our City has reached unacceptable levels.

Tendai makes a good suggestion when he asks private companies to put up refuse bins and fix the public toilets. But one has to ask why should private companies do this, and in so doing, let the City of Harare off the hook? If private companies have to step in time and time again to provide services that the City of Harare should provide, why do we have an expensive Mayor and his entourage?

It’s about time that a certified auditing firm audit revenue received by the City of Harare together with their expenditure. For example the City of Harare is going mad allowing a gross number of advertising billboards to be erected in Harare. But where does the rental money for these billboards go? These rentals can be used specifically to resuscitate public toilets.

Here’s Tendai getting things off his chest:

Toilets and refuse bins

It is high time City of Hare make a stand in 2011 to change the status of our city and bring sanity to the environment. Where are the refuse bins? Down town you hardly see one. Imagine, as our population increases I would think that in the City of Harare’s plans, toilets would increase according to the increased number of people. And with the few toilets we have can everyone afford 50 cents?

One is bound to vomit one’s gull. There is a strong stench of human waste especially when it is raining.

Please if there are companies or organizations reading this letter I appeal to you that you make your toilets available to the public and work on a program, or even build toilets to make all Zimbabwean cities better places. Even if each Zimbabwean organization can provide a litter drum painted with keep our city clean.

Comments are closed.