By
Ndumiso
Tshuma
Maria
Lunga,
Chairperson
of
Cowdray
Park
Emakhandeni
Chapter
and
a
member
of
the
Zimbabwe
Human
Rights
Association
said
BCC’s
failure
to
collect
the
waste
regularly
has
led
to
heaps
of
illegally
dumped
rubbish
that
are
now
common
along
pathways
and
storm
drains,
posing
serious
health
risks
to
the
community.
“We
are
forced
to
live
amidst
piles
of
rubbish
because
BCC
service
trucks
don’t
pass
through
areas
where
waste
is
excessive
due
to
the
distance
from
main
roads,”
said
Lunga.
In
response,
Lunga
and
fellow
Cowdray
Park
residents
organised
a
community
clean-up
campaign
on
Wednesday,
aiming
to
address
the
waste
crisis.
“We
decided
to
take
matters
into
our
own
hands
since
council
trucks
don’t
reach
all
wards,”
she
explained,
noting
that
Ward
Six
is
particularly
neglected.
Supported
by
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
(EMA),
which
donated
cleaning
equipment
and
educated
residents
on
its
use,
and
BCC,
which
provided
a
truck
for
the
event,
the
community
mobilised
for
a
large-scale
clean-up
effort.
“With
EMA’s
assistance
and
BCC’s
support,
we
gathered
every
piece
of
litter
and
ensured
it
was
placed
in
the
city
council
truck,”
Lunga
added.
Thubelihle
Ncube,
a
community
engagement
officer
for
the
Zimbabwe
Human
Rights
Association
said
the
campaign,
themed,
“Shifting
Power
to
the
People”
encouraged
residents
to
voice
their
concerns
and
take
ownership
of
solutions
in
their
community.
“Our
role
is
to
empower
communities
to
recognise
and
protect
their
human
rights.
Cowdray
Park
residents
devised
the
clean-up
campaign
and
approached
us
for
technical
support,”
Ncube
explained.
Residents
took
steps
to
facilitate
waste
collection,
moving
trash
closer
to
accessible
roads.
“The
community
agreed
that
without
action,
the
litter
piles
would
become
a
long-term
disaster,
so
they
brought
rubbish
closer
to
the
roads
to
ensure
BCC
trucks
could
collect
it,”
Ncube
said.
Ncube
added
that
Cowdray
Park’s
ongoing
efforts
underscore
critical
service
delivery
issues—water,
electricity,
and
waste
management—that
are
increasingly
urgent
in
urban
areas.
“Our
role
was
to
offer
support,
but
the
people
of
Cowdray
Park,
together
with
stakeholders,
led
this
initiative.
Rights
to
peaceful,
clean
environments
are
always
at
the
forefront
in
urban
areas,
and
residents
are
now
actively
addressing
the
threats
to
peace
in
their
community,”
Ncube
concluded.