The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is in the process of acquiring arresting powers from the Attorney General to effectively enforce law and order around the Central Business District (CBD), where transport operators and vendors operate from undesignated areas.
This announcement was made by Acting Mayor Cllr. Edwin Ndlovu during deliberations with fellow councillors at the latest Full Council Meeting held on Wednesday in the council chambers.
Cllr. Ndlovu was responding to concerns raised by Cllr. Ashton Mhlanga, who complained about the lack of urgency from the local authority in addressing the issue of people operating from undesignated areas.
He expressed concerns that the operation of illegal ranks could affect the commitment of the Egodini investor to expedite the completion of the project.
“I’m surprised that the committee is worried about the slow development of Egodini. The truth of the matter is that the investor we have at Egodini cannot invest where there is uncertainty. We seriously need enforcement from the Chamber Secretary’s department,” he said.
“We have illegal sites such as 6th Avenue and Colbro where people catch public transport. We are seeing less enforcement from the Chamber Secretary’s department in enforcing orders. We want to know what the hold-up is on shutting down these illegal spots and directing everyone to Egodini.”
Acting Mayor Cllr. Edwin Ndlovu explained that the council was working diligently to acquire arresting powers for those who break the city bylaws.
Cllr. Ndlovu noted that the city currently relies on the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for arrests during their operations.
“On the issue of enforcement, we are doing our best, but the challenge is our police do not have arresting powers. For them to carry out their operations, there has to be cooperation from the ZRP. In cases where the police are occupied, it becomes impossible to carry out any operations,” Cllr. Ndlovu said.
“As we speak, there are two of our vehicles that were vandalized during the current operation we are conducting. They are moving around trying to enforce order in the city, especially targeting people operating in undesignated areas, but the people push back and vandalise our property. I am advised that we have since applied for arresting powers from the Attorney General’s office.”
