TATENDA CHIKARA IN MASVINGO
The Masvingo City Council has proposed new by-laws to replace the archaic laws that are not in sync with current developments, Business Times can report.
The city has been using by-laws enacted in 1970.
A number of draft laws, including the traffic and clamping, cycle, open air worship, hawkers and street vendors, push cart by-laws and many others, were presented at a recent meeting with stakeholders.
The Masvingo City Council operations manager, Coster Sesenyeni, introduced the motion, dissecting some of the proposed by-laws.
“Motorists are expected to park properly. So, on Section 3 of the proposed by-law, improper parking is penalised. There are different forms of improper parking such as some straddle lines, others even through the loads in their vehicles or trailers. So, people will be penalised for improper parking and the penalty is US $20,” Sesenyeni said.
For those who pick and drop at undesignated areas under the new draft by-law, Sesenyeni said they will have to fork out a fine of US $40.
This applies to vehicles, taxis and commuter omnibuses.
On open air worshiping by-laws, the City’s town planner Phoebe Nyika said that the new draft by-law was meant to control worshiping in open spaces in Masvingo.
“In this section no person or persons shall gather in an open space for the purposes of worship unless given a permit by council. Here we have dealt with a person because most of these churches when you go there, no one admits he is the founder of the church. So we are enforcing on every individual who would be gathered there. Even if there are 100 of them they are made to pay a penalty of US $5 each,” Nyika said.
She said the council shall take necessary measures to displace those without permits.
“Council shall designate such spaces and people can gather for the purposes of worship provided there are portable water and toilet facilities. The toilet facilities can be temporary or permanent and will be subject to inspection by council health professionals,” Nyika said.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches Masvingo provincial coordinator Tawanda Mafuta who also attended the meeting told Business Times that as a church they were in support of the news draft by-laws as it tried to arrest some loopholes.
“The freedom of worship and freedom of association is what guides our interactions and initiatives as a church. If we are doing our gatherings as a church we should do that under the guidance of national laws. So if whatever we are doing is outside the Constitution of Zimbabwe or by-laws we need to correct that. We are welcoming the council’s new draft by-laws as they try to arrest some loopholes that are there,” Mafuta said.
