{"id":1626,"date":"2026-01-20T06:02:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T06:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/?p=1626"},"modified":"2026-01-20T06:02:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T06:02:36","slug":"refuse-collection-crisis-in-mutare-to-end-today-town-clerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/refuse-collection-crisis-in-mutare-to-end-today-town-clerk\/","title":{"rendered":"Refuse Collection Crisis in Mutare to End Today \u2013 Town Clerk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Fanuel Chinowaita<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Deputy Mayor Alderman Nyamhoka and Town Clerk Chafesuka<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mutare, 20 January 2026<\/strong>\u2013 Mutare Town Clerk Mr Blessing Chafesuka has assured residents that the refuse collection crisis that has affected parts of the city over the past weeks will be resolved today, noting that the municipality had been battling a backlog of between two and three weeks due to widespread breakdowns of refuse collection trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing journalists yesterday at the Mutare Civic Centre, Chafesuka said although not all residential areas were affected, some suburbs were severely impacted, exposing the fragile state of the city\u2019s waste management system.
\u201cWe had a backlog of about two to three weeks. Not all areas were affected, but some were badly hit. That confirms the state of our refuse collection challenges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chafesuka explained that the crisis was triggered by simultaneous mechanical failures within the city\u2019s refuse collection fleet. Out of a total of 17 refuse trucks, 10 broke down at the same time, far exceeding normal expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a fleet of 17 trucks, but the optimum number required to operate efficiently is 12. Unfortunately, 10 trucks broke down at once, which is very rare,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He revealed that two trucks suffered chassis damage, with one repaired and returned to service yesterday, while the other was repaired in Harare and expected to be released yesterday. Two old UD trucks require complete engine replacements, while other vehicles need major component changes or minor mechanical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn total, we have two engines down, two chassis damaged, four trucks needing complete overhauls and others with minor issues,\u201d Chafesuka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stabilise the situation, the municipality engaged its parent ministry, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, and hired additional trucks to clear the refuse backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe engaged our parent ministry and hired trucks. By tomorrow, which is today, refuse collection will be back on schedule,\u201d he said.
Chafesuka further announced that two new refuse collection trucks are expected to be delivered within the next two to three weeks to strengthen the city\u2019s fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged residents to remain patient and avoid illegal dumping during the recovery period.
\u201cWe just want to encourage residents to be patient and avoid dumping refuse indiscriminately. This situation was extraordinary, with 10 trucks breaking down at the same time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Town Clerk also blamed the poor state of Mutare\u2019s roads for accelerating vehicle breakdowns, citing chronic underfunding of road maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur roads are grossly underfunded, and we are losing what little infrastructure we have left,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chafesuka revealed that the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) allocated only four percent of the city\u2019s required road maintenance funding last year, with the annual allocation slightly above ZWL$500 000\u2014an amount he said was inadequate even for basic repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that procurement regulations further compound the problem by delaying the acquisition of spare parts and critical repairs.
\u201cUnder current procurement laws, acquiring spare parts involves lengthy procedures and strict compliance protocols, making it almost impossible to respond quickly during emergencies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chafesuka disclosed that he intends to seek waivers from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) to allow more flexible and responsive procurement processes.
\u201cI am advocating for waivers from PRAZ, given the urgent need for vehicle repairs,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the city\u2019s finances, Chafesuka said Mutare requires approximately 10 million USD annually for road maintenance, yet collections remain far below projections. He said the city collects about 1.2 million USD per year from road levies, while parking revenue nets between 23 000 USD and 25 000 USD per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese figures show a serious mismatch between our infrastructure needs and our revenue inflows,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mutare City Council now expects normal refuse collection services to resume fully today as hired trucks and repaired vehicles return to service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fanuel Chinowaita Mutare, 20 January 2026\u2013 Mutare Town Clerk Mr Blessing Chafesuka has assured residents that the refuse collection crisis that has affected parts of the city over the past weeks will be resolved today, noting that the municipality had been battling a backlog of between two and three weeks due to widespread breakdowns…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1626"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1628,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626\/revisions\/1628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}