HCC defies govt directive on recruitment.

HARARE City Council (HCC) has defied a government directive to stop recruiting temporary cleaners to sort out the city’s clogged drains and to clean the filthy streets.

HCC says it has already started its recruitment exercise.

The new development was revealed at a special full council meeting in the capital last week, where the local authority claimed that the streets were full of litter.

HCC has accused Local Government acting minister Kirsty Coventry of blocking its efforts to recruit temporary workers.

The ministry had requested justification for those specific workers.

At a special full council meeting held in the capital last week, ward 16 councillor Denford Ngadziore said they were going to defy the directive.

“We have been denied the opportunity to recruit, but we will defy these directives. This is the motion we are moving. As a councillor, I am also affected as we need more contract workers in Harare,” he said

Mayor Jacob Mafume said they would write to government notifying them of their next move.

“We are going to notify the Minister of Local Government within 48 hours on our next move,” he said.

HCC Environmental Management Unit head Lisben Chipfunde said they need US$1,1 million to carry out a cleaning blitz in Harare within two weeks to clear 610 illegal dump sites.

He said the city has 499 street cleaners and required more.

“The situation is dire in our streets, and we have introduced night shifts to clear our streets of litter. We have 610 dump sites and we need at least US$1,1 million to clear our dumps in two weeks. The money will also be used to hire trucks for refuse collection,” Chipfunde said.-newsday