by Christopher Makaza

Netizens have criticised opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s so called Glenview clean campaign where he claimed credit to the decline of cholera cases in Harare arguing that it was not Government’s intervention which led to the arrest of the deadly disease.

On his Twitter page Chamisa posted photos of MDC Alliance members cleaning Glenview streets with the caption, “Cleaning our City...I’m in Glenview for a community hygiene programme. Our Smart cities agenda calls for a collective national effort. The Mayor and team have done a fantastic job to arrest the cholera outbreak in Harare.”

Responding to Chamisa`s tweet, netizen Ronald Mbeke posted, “I am happy because  clean-up campaign was all about making it up for the mess that they created all along. Why was the clean-up not done in the first place. People celebrate as if it was a kind gesture. This was necessary and MDC must make sure cities are clean.”

Another netizen Moses Machipisa tweeted, “Chamisa is a habitual liar, it is not MDC which contributed to the decline of cholera cases, it was the Government. The MDC led Harare City Council actually caused the cholera outbreak because of their failure to repair broken sewer pipe and to supply clean water to rate payers which led to people relying on borehole water which became the source of the deadly disease. Had it not been for Government intervention and other well –wishers, it was going to be even worse.”

MDC Alliance councils are failing to provide basic services like refuse collection, roads rehabilitation, provision of clean and safe water and repairing burst sewer and water pipes, exposing residents to deadly diseases such as cholera and dysentery. These councils have turned towns countrywide into garbage and trench cities. Residents in most suburbs particularly Mabvuku, Tafara and some parts of Chitungwiza and surrounding areas are relying on open water sources which do have clean water.