Urgent intervention critical to prevent needless loss of life in Harare

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) calls upon responsible authorities to urgently act and address the rot at the Harare City Council which has led to continued disease outbreaks and needless loss of life.

CHRA notes with concern the continued typhoid outbreak in Harare with 200 cases of typhoid fever having been reported in the first week of January 2018.

This comes at a time Harare residents have been warned to drink tap water at their own risk.

Of major concern to us is the fact that officials at Harare City Council have failed to prioritize effective service delivery and eventually, the major drivers of typhoid such as erratic water supplies, unsafe drinking water, persistent sewer bursts, non-collection of refuse and poor sanitation among others have not been addressed.

CHRA is appalled by the fact that instead of addressing the major drivers of diseases such as typhoid and cholera, the Harare City Council continues to concentrate on window dressing measures such as the war on vendors plying their trade in the Central Business District (CBD).

The poor state of affairs in Harare comes at a time transparency and accountability are largely lacking at the Harare City Council.

Misuse of public funds continues to be the norm while council’s huge wage bill continues to negatively affect service delivery.

The situation currently obtaining in Harare is a serious violation of residents’ fundamental rights enshrined in the country’s constitution such as the right to clean, safe and portable water as well as the right to a clean environment.

In 2017, CHRA engaged the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) over the deteriorating situation in Harare and we implore the commission to urgently act and bring officials at Harare City Council to account.

CHRA has also mobilized Harare residents to engage Parliament and compel lawmakers to investigate the state of affairs in Harare and take appropriate action.

Source: Combined Harare Residents Association

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