Climate and Environment Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu has said the government is planning to table the Environment Management Agency (EMA) Amendment Bill in Parliament to ensure that there is a law that allows the central government to intervene when there is “apparent failure on service delivery as we are witnessing currently in urban areas”.
Ndlovu was responding to questions on how urban areas can be improved to make their environment safe and clean. For over two decades, Harare has been facing unprecedented hygiene issues characterised by failure by the council to collect waste and not clearing dumps.
The Minister noted that streets in Harare are infested with all kinds of waste streams from pet and glass bottles, paper, plastic, light bulbs to diapers and medicinal waste.
In high density areas, illegal dumps have become the norm and in some cases, they sit right in the middle of the road.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Ndlovu accused the local authorities of failing to resolve the deteriorating situation. He suggested that there be a law to allow government to intervene when councils are failing to perform.
“Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish I had the powers that my Chief Whip wishes I had. I can say possibly, first quarter or second quarter of 2024, we will be bringing the EMA Amendment Bill, and I pray that my esteemed Hon. Members of Parliament will debate this issue so that we have a piece of legislation that allows the central Government to intervene when there is apparent failure on service delivery as we are witnessing currently in urban areas,” he said.
Ndlovu also noted the need to make the clean up programme compulsory for all government ministries, departments, local authorities and all businesses under them.
“We are even going further to our villages, communities and our rural service centers although these will be supervised by local authorities. I am sure it was an omission Mr. Speaker Sir, that accounting officers in these institutions will be held accountable for non-compliance.
“If it is a Ministry, that is the Permanent Secretary, if it is a parastatal, it will be either a CEO or Director General, a council CEO in the case of a local authority.
“This is to make sure that we hold the highest employee position in that institution accountable. We believe that this will go a long way in making sure that there is compliance,” he added.
Government has, on countless occasions, been accused of illegally interfering with the operations of local authorities.
In June last year, the Local Government Ministry diverted more than US$55 million of devolution funds to buying fire trucks from Belarus for 89 councils allegedly at an inflated cost.
The multi-million deal was awarded to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Belarusian crony Alexander Zingman, who runs Aftrade DMCC without going to tender.
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