Byo City Council Inaction on Illegal Activities, a Growing Concern


Brunette Tshuma
Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube

In an attempt to bring sanity and cleanliness back to the City, the City Council declared and condemned all illegal activities within the CBD.

The condemnation was carried on 29 January 2024 by a local publication quoting authorities from the City Hall which announced the banning of push-carts from pirating within the City as well as the banning of washing of cars from parking bays along the City’s streets.

The move by the City Fathers was welcomed by many a residents as the rot in the City was spiraling towards deplorable levels.

At the time several cholera cases had been reported.

The City was now ‘stinking’.

“The once beautiful and clean Bulawayo is gone”. Commented an old lady shaking her head.
“The City is stinking.”

All attempts to revive and restore the detoriatory sanitary lane conditions of the Bulawayo City had to be implemented.

Thus in January, the Bulawayo City’s pronunciation followed a time when the local authorities was fighting lawlessness by vendors who had invaded and patronised the streets characterised by dirt, chaos and decay all over the City.

The Council through enacted By-laws pronounced that all push-carts and carwashing was prohibited within the CBD.

Ranking of long-distant buses within the CBD were pronounced banned as well.

Carwashing, which had become rampant in the City centre was said to attract punitive measures.

When the measures to eradicate lawlessness that contributed to uncleanliness around the CBD was announced, it was met with resistance by those lawless members of the society who cried foul of being targeted.

Theirs was to erk a living.

For a few weeks Municipal Police assisted by the ZRP played cat and mouse with street vendors as the Council tried to enforce By-laws.

Cars found being washed on the streets were subjected to clamping by the Council hired Smart Parking company, TTI.

Realistically to say the City Council has proven to be a council of action will be an understatement, the Bulawayo City Council is failing to walk the talk.

This comes after the Zim GBC News team have noted that after five months down the line, no notable change has taken place in trying to cleanse the streets of vendors, push-carts, long distance buses ranking in nearly every corner of the City and the washing of cars in parking bays.

Instead, the situation has gotten worse.

Dirt is flying all over the once number one clean City in Southern Africa.

The presence of long-distant buses is increasing, the buses are now found in numbers, next to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe along Jason Moyo Street, Fife Street near 5th Avenue Market, 6th Avenue and George Silundika Street, 12th Avenue and Fort Street.

The same buses are a traffic manace on First Avenue right from Lobengula Street eastwards.

Push-carts are a nuisance as the drivers haphazardly oppose traffic without concern of near accidents they cause. They do not give way at traffic lights as they meander dangerously competing with vehicles.

It is the rowdiness of the push-carts operators that is worrisome. They insult pedestrians or even bump unto them deliberately.

Car washing has left parking bays with residue of dirty water. Nearly every street now has young people some who are supposed to be at school, washing vehicles as early as seven in the morning.

The vendors who have colonised the pavements of Bulawayo still remains an issue up to date.

Every faucet of the City’s passages have become a selling point.

Errant Kombi drivers coupled with Mshikashika drivers have become a law unto themselves.

The City Fathers have become mere onlookers.

Zim GBC News acknowledges that most of these activities are meant for some local people to erk a living, but they are illegal.

They are being performed outside the confines of the law.

And the ineptitude of the City Fathers is fueling lawlessness.

The fact still remains that Bulawayo is suffering due to untamed lawlessness. Congestion and dirt has become an eyesore result of products sold on the streets, chaotic push-carts, washing of cars, Mshikashikas, Kombi drivers and long-distance drivers.

The situation on the ground has actually worsened to disappointing levels after all the City Council had declared that something tangible would be done to correct this lawlessness affecting the City Council.

“Uyabona mdala, you may write what you want, thina sidinga ukuphila. If we don’t wash these cars siyalamba kumbe sibengitsola.”

Look, we are just looking for money to survive, if we don’t wash these cars here we may go hungry or become thieves.

This was said by a street car washer known as Mkharadi who plys his trade on corner George Silundika Street and 9th Avenue. He responded while relieving himself next to a tree.

Asked why they were using the tree as a toilet, he responded,

“Akulamapublic toilets. Lawana awe City Hall ayabhadalwa and kukhatshana ngale.”

Mkharadi said so taking a pull from a round of mbanje.

There are no public toilets nearby, those by the City Hall are pay toilets.

The area is so putrid with human urine.

Fast food vendors who used to come during the evenings are now daring and have have flooded the streets with those selling sadza and rice dominating the Fort Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue as well as 6th Avenue and Lobrngula Street.

Gas grilling vendors have become prominent and a new source of congestion and dirt in the Bulawayo CBD.

It is only a matter of time before serious health hazards begin ti manifest from these illegal operations.

“Ngelinye ilanga sizafa nvecholera mnatanami. Okunje angikaze ngikubone lokhe ngathwetshulwa yingwe. Asazi mhlawumbe yikho esakulwela ilizwe.”

The old granny sneered as she tried to cross the congested JMN Nkomo Street into Compansation House to have her late husband’s papers sorted.

One day the whole City will be affected with Cholera, I have never seen such dirt in all my life. Maybe these are the fruits of war of independence.

The BCC Corporate Communications Officer Bongiwe Ngwenya had, in the local publication communique, said buses and kombis plying the “Bulawayo to Gwanda and Bulawayo -Gweru-Harare routes should operate from the Renkini Long Distance Bus terminus.”

This seem to have fallen on deaf ears as the same buses, Kombis and Mshikashika continue to receive welcome remarks from drivers looking for passengers along Josiah Tongogara and Leopold Takawira Avenue.

The situation becomes worse soon after 5:00 pm in the evening when the Council goes to sleep, Bus operators invade the areas bordering 8th Avenue and Fort Street next to the High Court, Leopold Takawira Ave and Herbert Chitepo Street next to the Magistrates Courts, Leopold Takawira Ave and Fort Street next to Tel One Compound.

Picking and dropping of passengers near the fast-food outlets in the in Leopold Takawira Ave continues in the manner of business as usual.

What is most embarrassing is that such illegal activities take place right next to were local law remedies are adjudicated.

The human and vehicle congestion that is around this place has become a disgrace.

“Kuyayangisa lokhu, but singakuthini, sesajwayela. Isn’t icouncil iyatshayisa and everyone uyabuya lapha ezothengisa. Asazi kumbe lamapholisa lawo asebenza nxa behamba labecouncil.”

Said another resident who was on her way to 6th Avenue to find illegal Kombis to take her home. She said this pointing to ZRP officers who were loitering around the Fast-food outlet aimlessly.

This is embarrassing but we are used to it. Isn’t when the council knocks off for the day, everyone comes to sell. Seemingly the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) only goes after vendors with the assistance of Bulawayo Municipal Police.

The Central parking along Fife Street and 8th Avenue have remain undisturbed with unregistered Honda Fit Mshikashika. During the day they ‘hide’ at the corner of Fife Street next to Haddon and Sly only to go back on 8th Ave opposite the City Hall right after 5pm. These lawless driver cause congestion and chaos coupled with Bupta Kombi operators who park encroached on 8th Avenue. Long ques of passengers seeking these transport services disturb traffic flow around the City Hall.

Unclean dirty water flowing on the streets as a result of car washing services have made Bulawayo citizens weary of some places within the city.

Sadly, income from these car washing services is used to purchase alcohol and drugs, a danger to health.

These car washing operations have also served as a leeway for theft tendencies, as some drivers have lost some valuables from their cars.

“I had my laptop stolen from my car as I refused to have the car washed on the street. Surprisingly, the boy was washing a car right next to mine and he professed ignorance of the break in of my car. The police were not forthcoming.”

Said William Chiutsi who had his property stolen opposite the fast food outlet along Fife Street and 10th Avenue. The place is never shot of street car washers.

Bulawayo citizens have continued to suffer the consequences of this lawlessness while the City Fathers fold their hands.

The Councilors’ dutiy is to the people they represent, failure to enforce the by-laws will continue to erode the trust and confidence from the residents who still have Bulawayo at heart.

Zim GBC News©2024

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *