Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has called for stricter enforcement and revision of city by-laws to curb a surge in destructive fires that have left property damaged and threatened the city’s natural environment.
Speaking during a full council meeting on Wednesday, Coltart warned that residents’ disregard for existing fire regulations posed a serious risk to lives and property, urging immediate action to strengthen penalties and improve enforcement.
“Last week in my ward, a resident set a fire clearing a stand. That fire got out of control and completely burnt out a house built in the 1940s,” he said. “It destroyed the house.”
The mayor recounted another blaze on Tuesday, when two young men were instructed to burn bush at the Hillside Dams Conservancy. The fire was eventually contained by the fire brigade, but he cautioned it could have devastated the popular recreation area.
Coltart said the city’s fire brigade is under immense pressure, responding to an increasing number of incidents caused by what he described as a “careless disregard” for safety laws.
“Soon a child is going to be killed, and I appeal to residents to stop this burning,” he warned.
Beyond the immediate threat, Coltart urged residents to end the long-standing practice of burning leaves, advocating instead for composting as a safer and environmentally friendly alternative.
“If you speak to our parks department and horticulture experts, they will tell you that if you take your leaves and garden refuse and treat it, you come up with wonderful compost which can then be used for wonderful vegetables,” he said.
He also pressed for the digitalisation of Bulawayo’s by-laws, some of which date back to 1966, arguing that outdated paper-based regulations make enforcement difficult.
“This exercise of digitalising all our by-laws and reviewing them is critically important so that we can get access to them,” Coltart said.
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