While some sections of the suburb were properly serviced by the Harare City Council, there is an area where residents live in shacks and without running water.
Most of the residents who live in this area are victims of the government’s infamous Operation Murambatsvina of May 2005, which affected over 2,4 million people across the country.
The residents said their area seemed not to be part of Harare as they hardly received services such as refuse collection. Roads and other infrastructure were not attended to.
“Our children risk their lives to get basic education as they cross a dangerous stream to the nearest school in Dzivaresekwa 2,” said Lovemore Matanhu. “There are no bridges at the crossing points and this greatly compromises our children’s safety.”
The only school in the area, Yemurai Primary, they said, was not only dilapidated but could not serve the whole community, forcing many children to attend school elsewhere.“Years after being displaced to this area, nothing much has been done to improve our surroundings,” Matanhu said.
Another resident, Patricia Saidi, said the residents feared a possible disease outbreak due to uncollected refuse.
“The City of Harare has not listed us for refuse collection and waste is overflowing into the roads and into homes. The flies are too many and the smell unbearable,” she said. “The area is serviced by a worn-out tarred road and most residents use the bucket system.”
Fears of an outbreak of diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera are not without a basis.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Thousands of people in Harare, Chitungwiza, Bindura and Norton were affected by typhoid early this year. The outbreak was attributed to vending, poor sanitation and erratic water supplies to residents.
The water shortages forced residents to scramble for the resource from unprotected water sources such as shallow wells.
Estimates indicate that 40% of residents in Harare and its satellite towns do not have access to clean water.
Efforts to get a comment from Harare City Council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi last week were fruitless.
