The Bulawayo City Council faces calls to implement stricter measures to enforce cleanliness standards across the city.
The issue arose during the latest Full Council meeting held on Wednesday.
Councillors expressed concern over the low number of arrests for littering offences.
Ward 5 Councillor, Dumisani Nkomo, highlighted the discrepancy between the number of arrests and the visible littering problem.
“Only 11 arrests were made for littering, yet the city’s dirtiness suggests a much higher number of offenders. We need more robust enforcement measures to hold litterbugs accountable. People throwing trash from their vehicles must be apprehended,” Cllr Nkomo said.
He proposed adopting international cleanliness measurement practices.
“Some cities utilize ‘clean city indices’ to gauge their sanitation levels. We could implement this approach, by measuring cleanliness by road and street segments. This would allow us to track progress over time,” Nkomo suggested.
Nkomo further advocated for integrating informal waste collectors into the city’s waste management system.
“Informal waste pickers play a significant role in keeping the city clean. We should consider incorporating them into our policies and bylaws,” he added.
Ward 25 Councillor, Aleck Ndlovu, echoed the need for stricter enforcement.
“A city of Bulawayo’s size having only 11 offenders is unbelievable! Littering has become excessive. We need to strengthen enforcement and impose fines on litterers. Clean cities attract investment and tourism. Penalizing littering is essential,” Cllr Ndlovu argued.
Ward 22 Councillor, Mmeli Moyo, called for better enforcement of existing council resolutions.
“Clean-up campaigns haven’t solved the problem. The committee proposes purchasing bins for $36,000, but previous council minutes show a resolution requiring businesses to provide their own bins. Let’s enforce existing resolutions before incurring additional costs for the council,” Cllr Moyo urged.
Acting Mayor, Cllr Edwin Ndlovu, reminded councillors of their responsibility to ensure resident compliance with city cleanliness policies and regulations.
