REGIS CHINGAWO IN MASVINGO
Masvingo residents have expressed concern over the unsanctioned commuter omnibus rank in the city’s central business district (CBD) as it has no ablution facilities, posing a health hazard, Business Times can report.
Masvingo Residents Forum secretary, Prosper Tiringindi told Business Times that Masvingo City Council needs to relocate the rank to Mucheke bus terminus from Glow as some residents are using the adjacent open area as toilets especially at night.
“We are calling on the local authority to do something over the Glow commuter omnibus rank in the CBD,” Tiringindi said.
He added: “The rank has no ablution facilities hence it must be moved elsewhere. We are sitting on a time bomb if action is not taken now.
“People are using the open space at the rank as toilets. We are now in the rainy season and it will not be a surprise if we experience an outbreak of water borne diseases such as cholera or dysentery.”
He said the local authority should abide by its promise to relocate all buses to Mucheke Bus terminus which has turned into a white elephant.
“Council made a resolution in May this year that all buses will be moved to Mucheke rank, but this is yet to see the light of the day,” Tiringindi said.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance director, Anoziva Muguti, said some people are using the open area at the rank as toilets.
“We wonder why the council is allowing buses to operate at an area where there are no ablution facilities. Council needs to be clear in its policies. They have the department of health and environmental services that deals with health and environmental issues and we wonder why they allow kombis and buses to operate in an area where there are no toilets,” Muguti told Business Times.
Apart from the Glow rank, buses which commute to Morgenster Mission and Nemamwa Growth Point pick up passengers near Pick and Pay retail supermarket, and those buses that pick up passengers to Chivi, Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts near government offices at Benjamin Burombo offices are operating in areas where there are no ablution facilities.
Masvingo Mayor, councillor Collin Maboke told Business Times that the local authority will consider carrying out an operation in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to flush out kombis that are operating at Glow rank.
“Yes we are aware of the health concerns at Glow rank where there are also government transport operators such as ZUPCO that are carrying passengers from the area. We will soon join hands with the law enforcement agents to descend on bus operators operating from the area so that they pick and drop passengers at designated places,” Maboke
