EDITOR - Harare’s streets have become so dirty that it boggles the mind how the city fathers still call it the Sunshine City.
There is filth wherever you go, something we were not used to in the olden days.
Is it that the city council does not have resources to fund refuse collection? Maybe there are no bins where the litter can be deposited.
What I have observed is that at most busy places like bus termini, city council places skip bins which they, however do not collect on time resulting in them over-spilling as people continue to throw litter in the over-filled bins.
At times people end up burning the refuse in the bins causing serious air pollution in these crowded places.
Even street bins overfill and are not emptied regularly, while tramps ravage them for anything of value throwing the litter onto the street in the process.
Somehow, I feel dealing with the problem of refuse calls for collective effort that should also include members of the public.
Authorities must enforce anti-litter by-laws to ensure that the city remains clean. Even the free toilets must be cleaned regularly to minimise the risk of communicable diseases.
We all know that the city has become home to so many people which imposes a strain on the available free facilities but keeping them clean must remain the council’s priority.
The two public toilets near the Julius Nyerere entrance into the Harare Gardens were a marvel during the Harare International Festival of the Arts because of the regular cleaning.
I think the same could still be achieved if people embrace this spirit of collective responsibility.
For once, let us all work towards the reclamation of the sunshine status for the City of Harare and possibly other areas can follow suit. Is this too much to ask for?