THE cash-strapped Gwanda town council has prioritised the acquisition of at least four service vehicles, including a refuse truck, amid revelations that the municipality’s vehicles have broken down and are beyond repair. ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
This was revealed at a full council meeting on Wednesday by the council’s engineering and works committee chairperson Mduduzi Ncube, who said the shortage of vehicles was adversely affecting service delivery.
“As we speak, every department needs at least one vehicle and the worst affected is the engineering department which needs a vehicle to attend to sewer bursts,” he said.
The chairperson of the health and housing committee Thulani Moyo said council would have finalised the modalities of acquiring a refuse truck within three months. “The municipality currently uses an unreliable tractor to collect garbage and this has seen litter going uncollected for weeks in some areas,” he said
“Following complainants by residents that garbage was not being collected regularly, we have decided to hire two contract refuse collectors on a monthly basis but, however, management should finalise the acquisition of a compactor truck by April.”
Residents fear uncollected garbage and burst sewer pipes could expose them to water borne diseases, especially now when rains are lashing the town.
It, however, remains unclear how council would raise the funds required to acquire the compactor as it has been struggling to pay its employees ever since it effected a government directive to scrap residential debts last year. The municipality wrote off $3,5 million it was owed by residents under the directive.
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