Despite a serious shortage of toilets in the city centre,
officials from Harare City Council have been reportedly been harassing private
concerns complementing their efforts.
Only a handful of council toilets are usable with the
majority being an eyesore, blocked and most of the times are short of running
water.
The serious shortage of public ablution facilities in
Harare has led to the introduction of mobile toilets which are bridging the gap
while also being key trying to prevent the continued spread of cholera in the
city.
The mobile toilets are being placed in hotspots including
busy pick-up points for travellers such as the Harare Exhibition Park and the
Civic Centre car park off Gamal Abdel Nasser Road.
Some of the areas that require mobile toilets are the
Harare’s city centre at a place commonly referred to as former Ximex Mall,
where illegal dealers are relieving themselves on the streets, posing a serious
health hazard.
Other local authorities including Beitbridge and Chinhoyi
have embraced the mobile toilets which are spreading to every province.
Only Harare City Council seems to be blocking the project.
Residents and city hawkers yesterday raised concern over
the removal of mobile toilets.
“Council is failing to maintain their toilets, but is busy
grabbing the ones which are usable.
“It is better to pay a paltry fee and use a reliable toilet
than accessing council facilities. Government should intervene,” said a vendor
who operates at Simon Muzenda Bus Terminus, Mrs Anesu Chirwa.
A resident Ms Tendai Kondo also said closure of
complementary ablution facilities was insensitive.
We are in the middle of a cholera crisis and someone is
grabbing toilets that is shameful. This will obviously lead to open defecation
posing a more serious health hazard.
“If one cannot have access to the toilets so he or she will
simply find a place to release self for example in Harare Gardens,” she said.
Mr Justin Makoma who operates at an open space around Gamal
Abdel Nasser Road area said: “I cannot stress myself by looking for a toilet
rather l will just urinate near any building because we do not have toilets
here. They are all blocked.”
Harare City Council spokesperson, Mr Stanley Gama responded
on the mobile toilets project.
“We removed those toilets through operation Chenesa because
they were illegal,” he said.
“City council is planning to build more toilets so it can
cater for the huge numbers of people in the central business district,” he
said.
The Zimbabwe Mobile Sanitation Association president Mr
Boston Muteya said they were facilitating the placement of the toilets at busy
spots.
“The purpose of the programme is to reduce issues of open
defecation,” he said. Herald
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