HARARE City Council has engaged the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to facilitate the release of $3,1 million meant for 16 refuse compactors being held by the supplier, FAW Group Corporation.
BY XOLISANI NCUBE
Harare has been failing to secure the foreign currency required to collect the refuse compactors which were bought from the automotive manufacturer early this year. FAW has already delivered nine refuse trucks and 10 skip trucks using its own resources after it received $300 000 from the central bank.
Mayor Herbert Gomba, town clerk Hosiah Chisango and city spokesperson Michael Chideme engaged the central bank boss John Mangudya, who advised the city to engage a local bank so that RBZ could write a letter of credit on its behalf.
Luckson Mukunguma, chairperson of the finance committee, revealed this while announcing the 2019 budget statement recently.
“Your worship, I am aware that you and the town clerk visited the governor of the Reserve Bank with a view to unlock the foreign currency required to support an array of service delivery assets, including road maintenance equipment. As a result of these consultations with the RBZ, a foreign currency account has since been opened with Ecobank and other processes are being finalised,” he said.
In the 2019 budget, council set aside $2 million for the procurement of 10 tipper trucks,$3 million for 15 refuse compactors and $400 000 for street, skip and underground bins.
The city also has plans to procure a landfill compactor and a front-end loader.
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Council has for years been failing to collect refuse from residential areas, leading to residents dumping litter in open spaces, seen as fuelling recent outbreaks of cholera.
