'Ignorant' Tsvangirai blasted by residence for pointing fingers

The Harare Residents Trust, has made a blunt criticism of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who recently blamed the city's women for blocking the water piping system.

In a statement on their online portal, the HRT threw daggers at PM Tsvangirai saying he should stop making uninformed statements for matters of environmental polution.

The statement read in full:
"Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should desist from making uninformed comments on the causes of litter in the communities by simply blaming residents for the increasing environmental pollution. The HRT expects the Prime Minister to focus his energies on re-aligning environmental management policies of local authorities and allocation of financial resources for refuse trucks, waste management and ending rampant corruption in Harare City Council. Residents are concerned with the failure of Harare Water and Waste Management departments to timeously respond to reports of burst sewer and water pipes. The provided hotlines are not helping residents to assist the council monitor service provision."

The statement of protest by the HRT comes after the PM last week issued out criticism for the city's environmental polution as he co-blamed female residents for the problems. Speaking at the recent launch of the Zero Litter Campaign and Water Conservation Strategies held in Harare's high-density suburb of Budiriro last week, Tsvangirai said his visit to Firle sewage works on the outskirts of Glen View last week had revealed to him that sand was the main material that clogged the works.

"How can we clog our own system?" he asked.

"Last week I was at the Firle sewage plant. Women, you are clogging the system with sand. There are babies and even blankets found in the sewage works. So I am asking women to do their work in a way that ensures our sytems are not clogged. Why use sand when there is Vim and Harpic (cleaning detergents)?" he said.

The PM also attacked industries which he said were dumping toxic waste into rivers, saying they were contaminating drinking water, a practice that resulted in more money being needed to treat the water.

"We must give local authorities the mandate to arrest and fine companies that dump toxic waste into our water system. We must also find the most effective way of treating our water. Building of new dams like Kunzvi and Tokwe-Mukorsi will go a long way in alleviating water shortages."