Mutare’s rubbish piles up as its fleet breaks down
by BERNARD CHIKETO
FOR WEEKS, residents in parts of the eastern border city of Mutare have watched their uncollected rubbish fester.
On January 19, Mutare’s town clerk, Blessing Chafesuka, assured them that normal refuse collection would resume imminently.
The cause of the crisis, he explained, was an extraordinary mechanical collapse: ten of the city’s 17 refuse trucks had broken down simultaneously. “That confirms the state of our refuse collection challenges,” he told journalists.
The municipality considers 12 trucks the minimum for efficient service. With only seven operational, a backlog of two to three weeks accumulated in some suburbs.
Chafesuka detailed a catalogue of failures: two trucks with damaged chassis, two ageing UD models requiring complete engine replacements, and others needing major overhauls.
To clear the mounds of waste, the city hired extra trucks through the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Two new vehicles are due to arrive within weeks.
Beyond immediate breakdowns, Chafesuka highlighted systemic frailties.
He blamed Mutare’s dilapidated roads—themselves a result of chronic underfunding—for accelerating vehicle wear.
The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) allocated just 4% of the city’s estimated road-maintenance needs last year, a sum of about ZWL$500,000 ($13,800 at official rates) he called “inadequate even for basic repairs”.
Procurement rules also hamper swift responses.
“Lengthy procedures and strict compliance protocols make it almost impossible to respond quickly during emergencies,” he said, adding that he would seek emergency waivers from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the city’s financial constraints are stark: it collects about $1.2m annually from road levies against an estimated $10m needed for road upkeep.
The immediate crisis may ease with borrowed trucks and repairs. But Mutare’s rubbish woes reveal a familiar pattern in Zimbabwe’s urban governance: infrastructure is ageing, funding is insufficient, and bureaucratic rigidity slows solutions while residents are forever asked for patience.