Bishop Lazarus Mpande Khanye, a leader in the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), said the city was struggling to maintain order, with some vendors trading outside designated areas and public transport operators disregarding authorised pick-up and drop-off points.
Khanye made the remarks during a review workshop of Bulawayo’s disaster risk contingency plan at the Mhlahlandlela Government Complex, where delegates discussed the implementation of Operation Hlanzeka, an initiative of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
The operation is being implemented alongside the government-led Operation Chenesa campaign, which targets informal trading and other structures considered illegal.
“We need to eradicate lawlessness in the city. We are faced with situations where people are doing as they please. You find vendors operating in designated areas, yet there are areas that are specifically set for them,” Khanye said.
He also questioned council’s enforcement of regulations on waste disposal, noting that some areas lacked bins while others reportedly experienced bin theft.
“There are sections that do not have bins for people to dispose of their waste. There have been reports that some bins get stolen, but are there no bylaws to prevent such?” he said.
Khanye further raised concern over public transport operators who disregard designated loading and offloading points, saying enforcement officers faced difficulties in addressing the problem.
“If you talk to the TTI people they will tell you that that place is a no-go because they fear to be assaulted. What is being done to ensure that law and order is retained in the city?” he said.
Responding to concerns over illegal vending, council’s Department of Health Services official Grace Chipare said the local authority was engaging vendors to encourage them to move to designated trading areas.
“As the local authority we are in the process of engaging vendors so that they can relocate to their designated areas. We have Bhaktas that was set aside to have vendors there. We also have other areas in the residential areas,” Chipare said.
She said the initiative was intended to decongest the city centre while ensuring informal traders had designated spaces to operate from.
Chipare added that some prospective vendors were willing to relocate but lacked information on how to secure vending space.
“We have a team in place to assist with information dissemination about the due process,” she said.
She also said private property owners were creating shops for rent to vendors, although rental costs could discourage some traders from taking up the spaces.
Bulawayo Local Government Director Tapiwa Zivoivoi said restoring cleanliness required a change in public attitudes, backed by consistent enforcement of existing regulations.
“To have the head of State declaring uncleanliness in our city is very embarrassing. We need to do better,” Zivoivoi said.
He said council needed to educate residents on proper waste disposal and the importance of maintaining clean public spaces, but awareness campaigns alone would not resolve the problem.
“We need to have a mandate to talk to people, raise awareness and teach them the importance of cleanliness. But this also needs to be coupled with enforcement of bylaws and set statutory instruments,” he said.
Zivoivoi called for deterrent fines to discourage littering and encourage residents to take responsibility for keeping the city clean.