Residents of Ward 23 have described the Sekusile Bus Terminus and Shopping Centre in Nkulumane as a ticking time bomb due to uncollected waste and raw water that perpetually flows at a water kiosk established there.
They also called on the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to implement measures to come up with measures that will ensure hygiene at the flea market centre and make the environment more conducive for vendors.
In an interview with CITE, acting chairperson for Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), Irene Ndlovu said residents were worried about uncollected refuse at Sekusile.
“There is a lot of dirt at Sekusile. There are a lot of vendors who have flooded the place. More vendors have since occupied the space to sell their wares. They then leave a lot of litter. We have coommunity working groups who cleanup the space and pile the dirt but it takes a long time before it is collected,” Ndlovu said.
“There is also a tap to assist residents with water when there is shedding but people are not taking good care of it. It is next to the place where garbage is dumped awating collection. Sometimes people leave the water running and dampens the garbage, creating a mess.”
Ndlovu said the ward councilor must facilitate the construction of a trench that will allow free flow of water instead of having it collecting there and harbouring mosquitoes.
She also highlighted that another challenge at the centre is that of the bottle store at which people now spend time drinking, in violation of city laws.
“When we were growing up, we knew that people do not drink at bottle stores. One could only go there to buy their alcohol and go drink at home but of late you find residents drinking there. The people who drink there, especially men, do not even make use of the public toilet there, they pee behind it, causing more pollution at the place,” said the BPRA official.
“Furthermore, that toilet is now owned by a private individual. It is not everyone who has the money to pay for them. Where do the rest of the people relieve themselves? These are issues that we need addressed at Sekusile.”
