By Nneka Nwogwugwu
South Africa’s Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is in the process of engaging Government to impose deterrent fines on litter bugs.
This year, council will arrest and fine any resident found littering.
Bulawayo was in the past renowned for its cleanliness and ranked among the world’s cleanest cities, but both the city centre and residential areas have become an eyesore in the past few years.
Areas such as Lobengula Street and 6th Avenue Extension, where vendors operate, resemble a dumpsite.
The local authority is sometimes blamed for promoting littering due to delays in collecting garbage, particularly in residential areas.
As the country enters a new year, it seems council has made anti-littering part of its resolutions.
Bulawayo Acting Town Clerk Mr Kimpton Ndimande yesterday said council wants to return to the basics in addressing littering issues.
He said they will lobby Government to make littering fines punitive.
“The littering penalties are very low at the moment so, we are lobbying Government to make the fine more deterrent.
‘’But it is difficult to tell people that you don’t want them to just throw away litter when the city is just dirty.
‘’So as council we have resolved that we will lead by example by cleaning the city.
‘’We are going to embark on a campaign to clean the city starting tomorrow.
‘’Once, we have shown the way, we will invite residents to complement council in making the city clean,” he said.
She said there must be a change of culture insofar as littering is concerned, as most people do not realise how problematic littering is.
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