Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo said his council would soon re-introduce household health inspection as a way to enforce cleanliness among residents.
Moyo told NewsDay the council’s Health, Housing and Education committee had recommended the move following reports of massive illegal dumping of waste at undesignated points and a general decline in hygiene.
“The inspections are not about getting into a house because that would be invasion of privacy,” said Moyo.
“Health inspectors will be just moving around the surrounding areas of households and the yards. People tend to take garbage outside and litter the environment. The inspections would be done to assess this littering and check who is responsible. As a local authority we have the responsibility to keep our city clean. These inspections are just a way in which we can achieve this,” he said.
The mayor said: “Illegal dumping is a big issue that we, as a local authority, have been trying to deal with. If people do not heed the advice that we give them on waste disposal, we will implement the necessary by-laws. We want people to co-operate with us and maintain a healthy environment.”
According to the latest council minutes, the Health, Housing and Education committee said household inspections would help reduce littering.
“In the past, health inspectors carried out inspections, but this had ceased,” the committee noted.
Deputy mayor Amen Mpofu urged council to intensify education campaigns to guard against the spread of diseases such as cholera.
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Early last year, the council’s health inspectorate department pounced on illegal butcheries and destroyed about 600kg of meat.
