Harare City Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has today commissioned six refuse and ten tipper trucks for garbage collection around the capital.
Speaking to journalists during commissioning, the mayor said that the capital’s council, which is still in short of equipment, is working flat out in collecting refuse in Harare.
“These (commissioned trucks) will be deployed immediately,” said Manyenyeni. “we know we have got areas in the city that are struggling with backlogs that go back as far as 5 weeks, so it’s a priority. The timing is just perfect for us to address that backlog.”
“We have been hovering between 18 and 23 of refuse trucks out of the need of 46. So there is still a gap.”
The city fathers, during the commissioning of the trucks blamed foreign currency shortages for delay in the importation of purchased equipment into the country.
Chairman of the Environment Management Committee in Harare Councillor Herbert Gomba said the commissioned equipment had stayed for a long time in South Africa until a team convinced the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to release foreign currency for importing.
The chairman requested the mayor to go back to the central bank to negotiate foreign currency for the 3 graders, 15 compactors and other compactors still stuck in South Africa.
Foreign currency has been a challenge in Zimbabwe with other industries threatening to close down due to challenges in importing raw materials.
Besides the six refuse and 10 tipper trucks, the mayor commissioned 25 half ton trucks last week and ten skip trucks earlier this year., all drawn down on US$8 million from a US$25 million loan facility from banks.
The mayor also commissioned 5 one ton and 9 refuse trucks, 3 pneumatic and 2 steel rollers, and also 10 utility vehicles all this drawn down on US$8 million from the US$30 million loan facility from banks.
