By Kudakwashe Pembere
A TRIO of Harare Residents last week sued the Local Government Minister July Moyo and the City of Harare over failure to collect refuse and clearing of dumping sites in the city.
The residents living in Mbare, Highfield and Mabvuku, represented by Paidamoyo Saurombe of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, argued that as faithful ratepayers, they are affected by the non-collection of refuse and yet City of Harare still charges them for garbage collection.
The residents namely Juliet Chatambudza, Soul Gurudza and Spiwe Guwa filed the application at Harare High Court on 27 May 2022.
“The residents, Juliet Chatambudza, Soul Gurudza and Spiwe Guwa, stated that refuse collection has become erratic in the capital city and they are now providing refuse bins for themselves and yet they used to receive them from City of Harare.
“Chatambudza, Gurudza and Guwa said due to the non-collection of refuse, residents had resorted to dumping garbage in their suburbs which is piling up in huge refuse dumps,” said the ZLHR in a press update.
The residents said the neglect in the collection of garbage was a health hazard.
“City of Harare, the residents argued, is unjustly enriching itself at their expense by continuing to collect rate payments for the collection of refuse while neglecting to collect garbage thereby infringing on their right to an environment that is not harmful to their well-being and health as provided for in Section 73 of the Constitution.
“As a result of the non-collection of refuse, the residents said they were suffering from dysentry caused by the health hazard and were being exposed to other diseases.
“Chatambudza, Gurudza and Guwa argued that City of Harare has an obligation to collect refuse from their residences and to clear dumpsites that have accumulated in the suburbs,” added ZLHR.
“As a remedy, the residents want City of Harare to be ordered by the High Court to clear all rubbish at dumpsites, to publish a refuse collection timetable in newspapers and on its social media platforms and to collect garbage in accordance with the timetable it would have published.”
