By Municipality Reporter
The MDC led Harare City Council has been accused of failing to cut the grass growing in public spaces and road sides across the city.
The subsequent lowering of visibility caused by tall grass is making life easier for muggers who are preying on pedestrians and is also creating critical blind spots for motorists trying to turn corners.
A survey done by this publication revealed that areas such as Kuwadzana, Dzivarasekwa, and Mt Pleasant Heights have seen muggings take place in broad daylight, and the robbers escape into the tall grass without a trace.
Residents who spoke to this publication urged the City fathers to be proactive when it comes to grass cutting considering that the rainy season is a regular and foreseeable event.
“Something has to be done because you cannot walk through some areas. We are forced to take longer routes to avoid being attacked by robbers,” said Tendai Muzondo of Kuwadzana.
Motorist Terrence Dzikarura who resides in Prospect says driving from Seke Road to his house is a nightmare as it requires extreme caution due to tall grass that has not been cut since the start of the rainy season.
“A combination of maize fields and tall grass is the major problem and we have to be extremely cautious when driving because tall grass has been responsible for head-on collisions in some instances,” said Dzikarura.
He added that numerous cases of muggings have been recorded in his area.
Privilege Matsa, a resident of Kuwadzana called on City of Harare to be serious and to provide services expected of them instead of spending time focusing on unproductive politics.
“They should plan in advance because every rainy season grass has to be cut. There should be no excuses. As you already know, all road sides in Harare have been buried in tall grass and you wonder what kind of a council you have that cannot even cut grass along the roads. They should provide the services to rate payers instead of engaging in unproductive politics,” said Matsa.
Recently, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana also accused the Harare City Council of failing to remove a tree that fell and blocked 4th Street near Selous. It took several days for the City fathers to remove the tree that was blocking this busy road.
