Dennis Ndlovu
Zim GBC News Reporter
https://www.zimgbcnews.co.zw
A city council meeting has heard that a worsening vehicle shortage and the collapse of a waste management contract are severely affecting refuse collection, leaving rubbish piling up in parts of the city.
A report presented to councillors from the Health, Housing and Education Committee, following a meeting held on 10 March 2026, revealed that only 30 out of a fleet of 62 vehicles are currently operational. Twenty-five vehicles are under repair, while six have been written off as obsolete.
The shortages are affecting key services, with refuse compactors overdue for maintenance and several trucks requiring major repairs, including brake overhauls, engine servicing and chassis work. Generators are also under strain, with three currently out of service and awaiting repairs.
Refuse collection in the Central Business District has been particularly disrupted after a private contractor, Waste Management Services (Lupepe), failed to meet its obligations. The company reportedly deployed as few as one compactor per day, despite a requirement for five. Its contract expired at the end of February.
Authorities say community truckers have since been increased from 41 to 47 in an attempt to bridge the gap and extend coverage to additional areas. However, councillors raised concerns about waste spilling from trucks as they move through the city centre.
Pressure is also mounting at the city’s landfill, which is nearing capacity due to a lack of machinery to properly compact waste. The committee heard that more than 5.7 million kilograms of solid waste are deposited at the site each month.
Councillors expressed concern over several operational issues, including the use of a supervisory vehicle to collect medical waste, a practice described as below standard. Suggestions were also made to introduce skip bins in areas most affected by refuse accumulation.
Addressing the fleet crisis, the City Town Clerk, Christopher Dube advised that Council would soon purchase more vehicles. In his exact words from the meeting record
“Part payments had been done at Croco motors. The order had also been placed with other suppliers. It was hoped that the situation would have improved by the end of June.”
He further noted that ;
“A request was made to utilize devolution funds to purchase vehicles from Belarus. This was being done on a Government to Government arrangement.”
In a separate report, health inspectors said they issued 48 notices in February for a range of offences, including operating without licences, poor hygiene standards and failure by food handlers to produce valid medical certificates. Several pre-schools in Nkulumane were also cited for operating without approved permits.
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