6 December 2025 | Bulawayo24news
Bulawayo City Council has been forced to confront two pressing challenges – severe vehicle shortages affecting service delivery and escalating illegal dumping – with councillors calling for urgent reforms to both procurement systems and penalty structures.
The matters took centre stage during Wednesday’s full council meeting, where councillors expressed frustration over stalled improvements and the growing strain on municipal operations. The debate on littering was initiated by Councillor Melisa Mabeza, who raised concern over the worsening state of public spaces due to rampant illegal vending and refuse disposal.
Councillor Octavius Dumisani Nkomo echoed the concern, arguing that current fines were too weak to discourage offenders. He pointed to Victoria Falls, where penalties sit at US$100, and suggested Bulawayo should adopt similar levels to restore cleanliness and public order. Councillor Mmeli Thobeka Moyo supported this proposal and recommended the creation of community enforcement teams in every ward to monitor compliance more closely.
Mayor Senator David Coltart backed the call for stronger deterrents, recounting a recent case where a businessman caught dumping waste along Cecil Avenue paid only US$30 – a sum far lower than official landfill fees. He warned that such nominal penalties were encouraging illegal disposal. In response, he proposed raising fines to as much as US$300 per tonne for trucks dumping waste, saying the threat of substantial financial loss could force behavioural change.