Street kids, vagrants invade Bulawayo CBD

THE city of Bulawayo is fast losing its glamour as scores of street kids, vagrants and mentally-challenged people have virtually invaded the Central Business District (CBD) in the past few months making it their home.

They wander from street to street, pestering the public for food and money and when nature calls, they relieve themselves in the streets where they sleep.

Before making the CBD their home, vagrants and the mentally-challenged used to stay down- town along Lobengula and Samuel Parirenyatwa streets.

The situation has irked residents who are calling on city fathers to urgently find alternative accommodation for the street dwellers, that at times snatch food and other goods from members of the public.

"We are calling on the city fathers to remove these vagrants in the city. They are a menace in the city," said Norah Ncube from Magwegwe suburb.

"We can't walk freely in the city, as they sometimes target school- children and women, taking anything from them like food and property."

Ncube added: "These people can do anything. They can even urinate in front of a shop in broad daylight, and at times you find them fast asleep right in the city centre with their private parts exposed. It's quite embarrassing."

Winnie Tshuma, a Tshabalala suburb resident said government must ensure that the vagrants are removed from the streets and provided with alternative accommodation.

"The department of social welfare and non-governmental organisations should assist the city council to solve this problem. A majority of them are mentally-challenged and need medical assistance," said Tshuma.

Business-owners are also complaining that the vagrants sometimes camp right on their doorsteps scaring away customers.

"Every time we have to chase them away after they come to sit or sleep on our doorsteps," said Ray Matt, who operates a butchery in the CBD.

"We hope the responsible authorities are going to look into the matter because the situation is not good for business."

Outgoing Bulawayo mayor, Thaba Moyo said they were aware of the menance caused by the vagrants and homeless people in the city.

He said this was caused by economic challenges that have bedeviled the country in the past decade.

"Currently, there has been a rapid increase in the number of homeless people and street children in Bulawayo and my council is very worried about this," said Moyo. "This is mainly being caused by the high unemployment rate, since most companies in the city shut down in recent years."

He said the city council was working with some NGOs to build cheaper houses for homeless people.

The exact number of vagrants, mentally-challenged and street kids roaming the streets of Bulawayo could not be ascertained, but estimates say they run into several scores.