Nkosentsha Khumalo
The Bulawayo City Council’s inability, or unwillingness, to address the issue of public toilets in the Central Business District (CBD) has created an increasingly hazardous environment for residents, as the lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene services has led to an epidemic of open defecation and urination.
Unhygienic tendencies have descended upon the City Council stands along 4th Avenue and Lobhengula Street, as loonies have taken up residence in some of the vacant stands, transforming them into makeshift bedrooms.
In its attempts to increase revenue, the City Council imposed exorbitant fees on vendors, driving many to relocate to more affordable locations.
The resulting vacancies have been seized upon by the homeless and displaced, who have transformed the stands into makeshift bedrooms, only emerging to haunt the streets of 4th Avenue after sunset.
The area surrounding these stands has been turned into a lawless wasteland and overrun with passersby using the grounds as an open-air toilet, creating utter filth and disorder.
The City Council appears to have turned a blind eye, effectively abandoning the area to its fate, which has left the loonies to reign supreme in their squalid kingdom.
The Terminus between 3rd and 4th Avenue has inadvertently fueled the chaos as hordes of people passing through the area, with limited access to sanitary facilities, has resulted in a significant number of individuals resorting to using the abandoned City Council stands for defecation and urination, turning the vending sites into a stinking and fetid area.
The Terminus which is a pivotal transportation hub in the area, serves as a gateway to Richmond, Trenance routes, and even to the United College of Education (UCE).
Further exacerbating the situation, Kombi drivers, conductors and some of the vendors who occupy stands in the area, selling their wares to the commuters who pass through the Terminus, have also taken to using the City Council stands as a makeshift toilet.
The City Council, during their previous budget consultations, had presented a private toilet near the Terminus as a public facility, misleading the public into believing that relief was within reach.
In a damning indictment of the Bulawayo City Council’s apathy, the city boasts a paltry three or four public toilets, a disgraceful inadequacy that forces residents to shell out a hefty sum of $1 or 10 rands simply to perform a basic human function.
This additional financial burden, imposed on top of the already struggling residents’ many needs, has led many to forgo the costly public facilities in favour of more affordable, but unsanitary alternatives.
In a recent budget consultative meeting with Ward 1 Councillor, Josiah Mutangi, who won the by-elections as a Zanu-Pf representative, he expressed his shock and dismay at the state of affairs at the City Council stands along 4th Avenue.
When questioned about the situation, Councillor Mutangi stated that he was unaware of the degradation and lawlessness that has permeated the area, admitting that he was unaware of the fact that the stands have been turned into both a public toilet and an impromptu residence for the homeless.
In his own words, Cllr Mutangi stated,
“I am not aware of the situation along 4th Avenue. But I assure you, I will have a team of cleaners dispatched to the area to address the sanitation crisis that has developed there.
A cleaner who was present at the event addressed Cllr Mutangi with a heartfelt concern, stating that despite their best efforts to maintain the cleanliness of the City Council stands along 4th Avenue, their efforts have proven futile.
“As cleaners, we have been sent to clean the area many times, but every time we return, the sanitation problem is worse. There are people living there who use the stands as a toilet, and despite our efforts to clean, the area is always dirtier than the last time we were there.”
Speaking on the issue of public safety, she emphasized the urgent need for more efficient cleaning equipment to effectively address the dire sanitation problem at the City Council stands along 4th Avenue.
She stated,
“The situation at 4th Avenue is now a public health hazard. We need more than just brooms and dustpans to clean this mess. If we are to address the filth and stench, we will need hose pipes and more effective cleaning equipment to thoroughly sanitize the area.”
Zim GBC News ©2024