Garbage piles up as strike cripples Councils

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Monday May 9, 2011 00:00

 

There has been a near total collapse of service delivery from councils as exemplified by piling garbage and increasing potholes on roads.

At the Gaborone City Council (GCC), a spokesperson, Seeletso Lekgaba admitted that the authority has been crippled by the strike. She said they have failed to collect refuse from the residential areas as most employees are on strike. She explained that under normal circumstances, the GCC is overwhelmed by garbage collection duties and the strike has made a bad situation worse. 'The strike really affected us. We have been thin on the ground and the strike made matters worse', Lekgaba said.

She added that the distance travelled to the landfill contributes to the problem of piling garbage. She said since the Gaborone landfill was closed, the cost of transporting refuse has doubled and this has compounded the council's problems.

A short tour of Gaborone reveals that the public is forced to endue the stink from the heaps of uncollected rubbish in front of their homes. In Gaborone West Phase One, heaps of rubbish are an eyesore. In the neighbouring Phase Two, residents are worried about an invasion of rodents because the piling garbage offers a fertile ground for feasting and reproduction.