With temperatures climbing and food spoiling faster, Bulawayo councillors have warned that lax enforcement of hygiene regulations could put residents at risk of foodborne diseases this summer.
During a recent full council meeting, proportional representation councillor Agnes Munsaka criticised the sale of foodstuffs such as meat and beans in unhygienic conditions outside shops, often surrounded by insects. She said the practice was a growing threat to public health.
“Since summer is quickly approaching, food items like meat and beans should not be offered outside,” Munsaka told the chamber.
Ward 14 councillor Dumisani Netha echoed her concerns, questioning the committee’s commitment to curbing the sale of unsafe products. He also highlighted the influx of counterfeit South African goods into local markets and pressed for details on what measures had been taken to block such imports.
“I ask the committee to explain to us how far they have gone in preventing such goods from coming in,” Netha said, adding that council resolutions appeared to be going unimplemented.
Responding to the criticism, Ward 28 councillor Ntombizodwa Khumalo defended the health committee’s record but acknowledged resource constraints.
She said 963 inspections had been conducted, with fines and tickets issued to offenders, although the penalties were too small to deter littering, dumping, or poor hygiene practices.
“Fines are gazetted and cannot be changed at any point, which is why they appear small. In some cases, we work with the Environmental Management Agency because their fines are higher,” Khumalo explained.
She added that enforcement actions, including operations targeting street vendors along 5th and 6th avenues, were carried out in partnership with other agencies and the government.
On the issue of imported goods, Khumalo clarified that the committee’s jurisdiction did not extend to border controls.
“As a committee we have no means of addressing the issue of foodstuffs coming into the country. We can only deal with products already in supermarkets, where fines have been issued,” she said.
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