VICTORIA FALLS ward 11 residents have called on council and police to impose stiffer penalties on noise-makers, including churches built in residential areas.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The appeal was made during 2019 budget consultative meeting held at Chamabondo Primary School in Mkhosana on Sunday.
Residents said unchecked noise pollution was now a cause for concern as some residents defy neighbours’ appeal to reduce volumes of their radios.
“We are having a serious challenge as ward 11 dwellers.
We have neighbours who play loud music all night.
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These people mount speakers on their verandas and drown the neighbourhood with loud music without seeking police clearance.
This is commonplace in many households and has created a lot of tension. Some of us knock off work around 9pm only to retire to noise that only subsides around 4:30am,” one resident said.
The resident said the noise was disrupting their school-going children’s studies and sleep.
“We would like to appeal to council and police that they craft a law to guide these people so that we live in harmony,” one resident said.
“Council gave stands to Pentecostal churches in the middle of residential areas and our Sundays have become a nightmare.
The planning was poorly done and we don’t know how you can fix that.
These churches play their instruments at high volumes and they will be singing loudly the whole day forgetting that it irritates the next resident.
Council needs to remove those churches so that peace is maintained.
Churches must be situated apart from residential areas,” another said.
Ward 11 councillor Edmore Zhou concurred with residents and appealed to council to act.
At the same meeting, residents also appealed to council to monitor bars and nightclubs in residential areas and regulate their operations.
Council finance director Neville Ndlovu pledged to work with law enforcement agents to regulate noise-makers.
He said bars and nightclubs had stipulated opening and closing timetables that they should stick to.
Due to poor attendance, residents and council resolved to meet again tomorrow.