Harare Mayor, Jacob Mafume, has launched Operation Chenesa Harare which will run for the next three weeks to clear all the illegal dumps that have accumulated throughout the city.
He said the majority of the necessary equipment has been purchased for Operation Chenesa Harare which was with effect from 28 February 2023.
Mayor Mafume said District Officers in each area will manage the operation.
He said the issue of waste management has become a topical issue in Harare and the local government authority is committed to dealing with it once and for all. He said:
Everyone is aware that the issue of waste management model from the colonial era based on land fill, based on an ecosystem which necessitated the upliftment of waste of whatever kind without separating or recycling it, without dealing with it in any manner or form and dump it at a dumping site.
As you can see many areas, there have been landfills like the Golden Quarry and until recently we are now taking to Pomona without any management.
Mayor Mafume said the argument with the central government on Pomona has also led to a number of illegal dumpsites.
He said the other cause of these illegal dumpsites is the emergency of un-regularised settlements where the council is not collecting refuse.
Mayor Mafume said the council is committed to introducing programmes that complement the effort of the central government that has issued a national cleaning day.
He added that the programme recognises the role of the community in terms of participation in clean-up and behavioural changes.
The Mayor said citizens and communities must be placed at the centre of this waste collection model to give people control over the environment and maintain its value.
Mayor Mafume said refuse shall be collected every fortnight in residential areas and every day in areas like Mbare.
Harare City Council previously attributed failure or negligence to collect garbage to the inadequacy of resources such as compactors and fuel.