Disease Fears Over Harare’s Uncollected Garbage

Kimberleigh Jiro

Taking a walk around Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, one is certain to encounter heaps of uncollected garbage, be it in the CBD or even residential areas.

As the rainy season approaches, fears of waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera are high. A visit to one of Harare’s oldest suburbs, Mbare, shows heaps of uncollected garbage, posing a health hazard to residents.

The city fathers say they have no equipment to collect the garbage. Harare City Council spokesperson, Michael Chideme said,

“we are collecting, but on a very reduced scale in Mbare because of equipment challenges. Right now we are mobilizing equipment so that we can go and do a blitz in the suburb and then we can revert to our normal scheduled collections in the suburb. So the biggest problem right now is that of equipment.

Public health specialist Itai Rusike told ZTN and that it is worrying that residents pay for their refuse to be collected but it is still not being collected.

“The increase in uncollected urban waste is a matter of concern to many communities and a source of disease transmission. It is worrying that bill payments from residents include an earmarked portion for waste collection and our query is if these funds are being fully used or are being used for other functions,“ he said.

Residents of Mbare say their refuse has not been collected for over two months now.