HARARE City Council is failing to enforce its own by-laws, as haulage trucks openly use undesignated routes and drive through residential areas without prior clearance.
In the latest Government Gazette, the Government has issued orders using the customs tax laws, since municipalities have a lot of self government, to now effect in part the same result by barring transit traffic whether loaded or unloaded from passing through the city centre and residential areas.
Those that do can now be dealt with as defying tax laws, rather than be ignored by a council refusing to enforce its own traffic laws.
Residents of Budiriro and Tynwald suburbs have expressed concern over council’s failure to enforce the by-laws, leaving haulage trucks to operate in residential areas.
A Budiriro resident, Mrs Laina Murindagomo, said besides failing to provide adequate service delivery to residents, council was also negligent in enforcing by-laws.
“Council is allowing haulage companies to operate in residential areas destroying roads. It is against the city’s by-laws. For example, in Budiriro 2 there is Chihowa trucks and Stratweld haulage among many others. The situation is the same in Tynwald,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs Elizabeth Tinarwo, said haulage trucks should be banned from using roads in residential areas.
“These trucks are causing a lot of damage to our roads besides making noise. Sometimes they will be speeding and our fear is that one day a truck will run over children who will be playing on the roads. Council must act with immediate effect,” she said.
Mr Dennis Chemukute from Tynwald concurred and said truck drivers should obey by-laws.
“This is delinquency at its highest level. Trucks should not be allowed to use roads in residential areas or haulage companies to operate in those areas. Council has to make sure that by-laws are adhered to by truck drivers,” he said.
But now at least one group of trucks, those transiting through Zimbabwe, whether loaded or not, and either electronically sealed or not, are not allowed in residential areas unless prior authority is sought from the Commissioner of Customs and Excise.
Some of the cargo tracking routes gazetted by the Government include Route One Beitbridge-Chirundu via Harare, Route Four Forbes-Chirundu, Route Five Beitbridge-Nyamapanda, Route Six Beitbridge-Victoria Falls, up to Route 56 Kazungula-Forbes via Murambinda.
Council spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said haulage companies operating in residential areas and destroying roads were breaching the city’s by-laws.
“We are going to embark on a blitz targeting heavy vehicles entering and parking in residential areas in breach of the city by-laws,” he said.
“We are also targeting the Central Business District where heavy vehicles are barred between 8am and 5pm daily. We are urging truck operators to remove all their trucks that are wrongly parked in residential areas.
“Heavy vehicles are barred from residential areas because roads in the suburbs are not designed to cater for their weight. They also destroy infrastructure such as telephone and electricity lines and their noise and vibrations have an effect on housing properties.”
Mr Ruwende said the local authority was going to be clamping and fining such vehicles. – The Herald
