Opinion / Columnist
Council bosses should bring sanity in cities and towns
18 Oct 2017 at 14:02hrs | Views
Urban and rural council bosses should heed Local Government, Rural Development and National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere's advice of restoring and maintaining sanity and order in cities and towns under their jurisdiction, if ever sustainable development is going to be achieved.
Most cities and towns nationwide were in a sorry state as a result of uncontrolled vendors and illegal pirate taxis operating from undesignated places. This has been affecting the smooth flow of normal business in city centres, as some vendors were selling their wares in front of licensed retail shops. Worse off, their merchandise was of the same nature as those in the shops but at lower prices. For instance, most vendors who sell school uniforms are normally found on streets where shops like Enbee are located.
In addition, vendors selling fruits and vegetables have been contributing to the filthiness in the city. Despite the fact that there are a number of litter bins in the city centre, most streets were splattered with bad fruits and vegetables every morning, posing a health hazard to local citizens.
In as much as Government appreciates the services offered by these vendors and pirate taxis, it should be known that it is also concerned about the safety of its people. It is high time that these illegal street vendors and pirate taxis become registered so as to operate with accountability. Local municipalities must act on these unlawful vendors in order to promote a healthy environment which also translate into investment opportunities for the cities.
Service delivery is an essential function in the relation between local municipalities and citizens, hence, Government should be commended for its efforts in restoring order in the country's cities.
The MDC-T led Harare City council has been failing to bring sanity in the central business district (CBD). This led to the deployment of police officers in the CBD to ensure that illegal vendors were not operating at undesignated places.
While other vendors complied with the Government's directive, some mischievous elements were seen playing hide and seek with police officers.
So far, it was reported that seventy nine (79) illegal vendors were arrested in Harare's CBD since the operation to restore sanity started. City fathers should be encouraged to continue monitoring and arresting all vendors who fail to abide by the city's by-laws so that the situation does not return to the mayhem that existed before the operation.
Last year, Government mounted vending stalls along Seke road. Vendors were supposed to move from CBD and relocate at these places. Unfortunately most vendors failed to abide by that order and continued selling their wares in town. Laxity on the part of the city fathers was to blame for this anarchy.
While deliberating on his speech at the National Youth Assembly meeting in Harare on 7 October 2017, President Robert Mugabe gave an order that all the illegal vendors should be removed from the streets as they had brought chaos in the sunshine city.
Illegal commuter omnibus and pirate taxi operators have also been a menace in the cities. Most citizens have fallen victims to these illegal traffic operators. Last year in May, a form four student at Harare Girls High, Jocelyne Gomba and a man, Odwell Mabanga were hit over and dragged to death by a kombi driver who was operating at an illegal pick up point at corner Park Lane and Leopold Takawira Street.
It is the duty of Municipal authorities to bring sanity in the cities and towns. Councillors should be the providers of positive direction to the general public. They should be encouraged that a healthy city can transform the lives of its people in a positive manner.
Minister Kasukuwere also mentioned that there was need for council bosses to stop allocating illegal residential stands to desperate home seekers. It boggles the mind how some of these councillors abuse their offices to the detriment of service delivery. Usually citizens are the ones that suffer most from house demolitions since they would have spent a lot of money buying building materials and paying for the construction of those houses.
Lastly, local authorities should acquire lasting and sustainable solutions that improve service delivery.
Most cities and towns nationwide were in a sorry state as a result of uncontrolled vendors and illegal pirate taxis operating from undesignated places. This has been affecting the smooth flow of normal business in city centres, as some vendors were selling their wares in front of licensed retail shops. Worse off, their merchandise was of the same nature as those in the shops but at lower prices. For instance, most vendors who sell school uniforms are normally found on streets where shops like Enbee are located.
In addition, vendors selling fruits and vegetables have been contributing to the filthiness in the city. Despite the fact that there are a number of litter bins in the city centre, most streets were splattered with bad fruits and vegetables every morning, posing a health hazard to local citizens.
In as much as Government appreciates the services offered by these vendors and pirate taxis, it should be known that it is also concerned about the safety of its people. It is high time that these illegal street vendors and pirate taxis become registered so as to operate with accountability. Local municipalities must act on these unlawful vendors in order to promote a healthy environment which also translate into investment opportunities for the cities.
Service delivery is an essential function in the relation between local municipalities and citizens, hence, Government should be commended for its efforts in restoring order in the country's cities.
The MDC-T led Harare City council has been failing to bring sanity in the central business district (CBD). This led to the deployment of police officers in the CBD to ensure that illegal vendors were not operating at undesignated places.
While other vendors complied with the Government's directive, some mischievous elements were seen playing hide and seek with police officers.
Last year, Government mounted vending stalls along Seke road. Vendors were supposed to move from CBD and relocate at these places. Unfortunately most vendors failed to abide by that order and continued selling their wares in town. Laxity on the part of the city fathers was to blame for this anarchy.
While deliberating on his speech at the National Youth Assembly meeting in Harare on 7 October 2017, President Robert Mugabe gave an order that all the illegal vendors should be removed from the streets as they had brought chaos in the sunshine city.
Illegal commuter omnibus and pirate taxi operators have also been a menace in the cities. Most citizens have fallen victims to these illegal traffic operators. Last year in May, a form four student at Harare Girls High, Jocelyne Gomba and a man, Odwell Mabanga were hit over and dragged to death by a kombi driver who was operating at an illegal pick up point at corner Park Lane and Leopold Takawira Street.
It is the duty of Municipal authorities to bring sanity in the cities and towns. Councillors should be the providers of positive direction to the general public. They should be encouraged that a healthy city can transform the lives of its people in a positive manner.
Minister Kasukuwere also mentioned that there was need for council bosses to stop allocating illegal residential stands to desperate home seekers. It boggles the mind how some of these councillors abuse their offices to the detriment of service delivery. Usually citizens are the ones that suffer most from house demolitions since they would have spent a lot of money buying building materials and paying for the construction of those houses.
Lastly, local authorities should acquire lasting and sustainable solutions that improve service delivery.
Source - Peacemaker Zano
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